5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to think about the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges as a precious and feasible alternative for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was talking for the duration of an oversight visit for the post-school education and instruction (PSET) establishments within the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as critical for job creation and youth skills development inside the country.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, plus the Cape Peninsula {University of Technological innovation (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at evaluating the condition of readiness of better education institutions across the nation, ahead of the 2025 academic year.
Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to take delight in buying artisan expertise as they offer good entrepreneurship options.
"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, college students at CPUT expressed issues about student residences as well as other services. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to operate with the Student Representative Council here (SRC), to speedily resolve the recognized troubles.
The motheo tvet college Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent visit to higher education institutions in the Free elangeni tvet college State where she visited Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
In the course of the visits, the Deputy Minister has been accompanied by important 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 more info all higher education related queries on each visit.
The problem of funding and administrative problems faced through the NSFAS was in the spotlight throughout the Free State leg of your 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 motheo tvet college 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 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 is expected to continue in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za