5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to look at the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges being a beneficial and practical substitute for advancing their professions.

The Deputy Minister was speaking throughout an oversight visit into the post-school education and teaching (PSET) institutions while in the Western Cape this 7 days.

Gondwe described the TVET colleges as vital for job creation and youth skills development from 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 directed at assessing the state of readiness of larger education institutions across the country, forward with the 2025 educational year.

In the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to get pleasure in acquiring artisan skills as they offer great entrepreneurship opportunities.

"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," get more info Gondwe said.

At the second part of the visit, college students at CPUT expressed problems about college student residences and also other facilities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative check here Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the identified difficulties.

The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent visit to higher education institutions in the Free website State where she visited Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.

Over the visits, the Deputy Minister has become 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 all higher education related queries on each visit.

The issue of funding and administrative issues faced through the NSFAS was within the spotlight throughout the Free State leg in the visits.

"NSFAS needs to get its get more info 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 plan of action, announced by Higher Education and read more 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