5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to think about the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges to be a worthwhile and feasible substitute for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was speaking for the duration of an oversight visit into the post-school education and schooling (PSET) establishments while in the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as critical for job creation and youth skills development while in the nation.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, along with the Cape Peninsula {University of Technologies (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits targeted at assessing the condition of readiness of higher education institutions across the country, in advance from the 2025 educational year.
Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to just take satisfaction in acquiring artisan expertise as they provide wonderful 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, students at CPUT expressed worries about student residences and also other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the discovered issues.
The website Deputy Minister’s visit to check here the Western Cape, follows her recent visit to higher education institutions in tvet college courses without matric the Free State where she visited Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
During the visits, the Deputy Minister continues to be 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 problem of funding and administrative problems confronted via the NSFAS was while in the spotlight throughout the Free State leg of your visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order to ensure that student click here 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 website 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