Last week SAFETSA -SA Further Education and Training Students Association, threatened to shut down 50 of the county’s colleges.
Last year, the country was marred by varsity protestations that resulted in burning, deaths and arrests, as a result of ‘fee must fall campaign’. The bone of contention is high fees.
President JG Zuma, recommended the establishment of the Commission to look into the matter.
We’re still awaiting the findings, considering its only weeks before varsities resume with their academic programme.
This week, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has instructed his department to convene a technical vocational education and training (TVET) forum, and has asked the department’s DG Gwebinkundla Qonde‚ to set up an intervention task team to speed up the process of current initiatives being implemented to improve the quality of teaching and learning at TVET colleges.
“…We recently received a list of grievances from the body representing TVET students. We take this list and the students’ body very seriously‚” Nzimande was quoted.
SAFETSA listed among others, weak leadership‚ corruption‚ unqualified lecturers‚ lack of certification and student support as factors that have collapsed the sector.
“There is nothing in the memorandum we have received from Safetsa that cannot be resolved with a bit of goodwill and determination by the TVET colleges‚ of course supported by the DHET‚” he said.
“We remain committed to finding the resources to support the children of all poor‚ working-class and middle-class families in their quest to better their lives and those of their families through skills acquisition‚” Nzimande said.
NSFAS applications for 2017 funding for university students has closed. Funding applications for TVET college students will close on February 14 2017. R1, 3 billion to 26 public universities has been paid for student’s enrollment.
For more information go to info@nsfas.org.za
