5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to consider the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges to be a valuable and feasible different for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was speaking in the course of an oversight visit to the post-school education and teaching (PSET) establishments in the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as crucial for job creation and youth skills development while in the region.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, as well as Cape Peninsula {University of Technology (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed toward examining the state of readiness of greater education institutions across the nation, forward with the 2025 academic year.
Over the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to choose pleasure in acquiring artisan skills as they offer great entrepreneurship options.
"I am 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], here and coding," Gondwe said.
At the second part of the visit, college students at CPUT expressed fears about college student residences together with other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the discovered difficulties.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent visit to higher education institutions in the Free State where she visited Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of Technology read more (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
In the course of the visits, the Deputy Minister has actually been accompanied by crucial 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 problem of funding and administrative challenges faced via the NSFAS was from the spotlight throughout the Free State leg of the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order to ensure check here 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 plan of action, announced by read more 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 check here Minister's oversight is expected to continue in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za