Minister for higher education meets with TVET colleges & CDM mayor
The Minister of Higher Education and Training, Prof Hlengiwe Buhle Mkhize, held a meeting at the central campus of Capricorn TVET College with district managers.
POLOKWANE – The meeting on 16 January aimed to assess student registration and accommodation issues in Limpopo.
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Mkhize noted much time was spent discussing the notion of walk-ins at colleges and he refuted claims that President Jacob Zuma’s announcement of free education was a contributing factor to the increased number of applicants this year.
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“The announcement of free education by the president is not to blame for complications with registrations this year. If you can access the 8 January statement, it is cautious and modest. I think problems regarding the registration process and accommodation issues is unfortunate because free education should benefit young people who have been excluded in some instances while qualifying and not for political gain,” she said.
During the meeting it was further explained free education does not apply to everyone, it only applies to poor students who meet the academic requirements to study at a higher learning institution.
At national level, the Department of Higher Education and Training said people should make use of the central application registry to enable all students who failed to get space at one institution to stand a chance of being accepted at an alternative institution.
Beneficiaries of the National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) who applied at institutions of higher learning who traditionally would apply for a loan, will see the loan being converted into a grant.
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The numbers of students who will receive the grants, Mkhize explained, will be limited as they have to meet the requirements of being accepted to a college or university before they can qualify for the grant.
“The NSFAS comes in once you are offered space according to the traditional criteria and the marks required.
“One of the observations we have made is that at TVET colleges is that we have not been as strict with the application dates as other institutions.
“This has resulted in students applying for NSFAS very late resulting in the application taking months to process and students dropping out as a result,” she added.
The department added importance will be placed on the timeous application at colleges during career guidance sessions to avoid pressure placed on colleges at the beginning of the academic year to accept new students.
Colleges that are close to various sectors were urged to show bias in terms of their offerings in order to be in line with what the specific sector wants, in order to make it easier for students to gain workplace experience, and ultimately get jobs, during their studies.
The department also committed to dealing with issues related to infrastructure at various colleges. Mkhize further warned TVET colleges to be careful not to change the rules under pressure because it might create further crisis, reminding them that there are Skills Education Training Authorities (SETAs), skills funds and other programmes government have put in place as a post-school education offering.
