5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to take into account the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges for a important and viable substitute for advancing their professions.
The Deputy Minister was speaking in the course of an oversight visit for the post-school education and training (PSET) establishments within the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as critical for job creation and youth skills development within the place.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, as well as the Cape Peninsula {University of Know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at assessing the condition of readiness of better education institutions across the nation, in advance from the 2025 academic year.
Over the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to choose pride in obtaining artisan expertise as they provide wonderful entrepreneurship prospects.
"I'm very encouraged by what I'm seeing at TVET colleges, I believe they are the future of this country. TVETs are producing artisans with much needed skills [and] also offer opportunities for learners to acquire future skills, such as robotics, AI [Artificial intelligence], and coding," Gondwe said.
At the second part of the visit, students at CPUT expressed considerations about student lephalale tvet college residences along with other facilities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the determined concerns.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent visit to higher education institutions in tvet colleges open for applications the Free State where she visited Goldfields get more info TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Through the visits, the Deputy Minister is accompanied by key senior officers from Higher Education and Training, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Deputy Minister’s dedicated Help Desk has also formed part of the delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The issue of funding and administrative worries faced via the NSFAS was while in the spotlight during the Free State leg with the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order to ensure that student allowances are paid on time with no delays. Delays cause serious challenges for learners; learners need allowances to eat and to buy hygiene products. This is important for their sense of wellbeing and dignity," Gondwe said.
Gondwe embarked on the state of readiness visits following a elangeni tvet college plan of action, announced by Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane at the special meeting of the Post Education and Training sector held in January 2025, to establish the state of readiness for the 2025 academic year.
The Deputy Minister's oversight website is expected to continue in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za