TVET College Expansion Requires More Funding

In recent years, the Department of Higher Education and Training has been working to expand the college sector. For these plans to succeed, additional funding is required.

TVET College Expansion Requires More Funding

Over 200 Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges are located across the country. As compared to universities, these colleges are often considered less prestigious and are associated with poor performance.

The TVET college classes began on 23 January 2023, with 497 032 students enrolled in the Ministerial approved programmes, plus an additional 59 383 students enrolled in programs funded by other donors. In total, 556 450 students were enrolled, but that was well below the 2 million student target for the 2030 National Development Plan (NDP).

As DHET expands and strengthens the college sector, TVET colleges are being transformed into institutions of choice for high school graduates.Over the last eight to ten years, several new campuses have been built, and some are still being built.To meet the NDP targets, the department says TVET colleges need substantial funding increases.

According to Minister Blade Nzimande, his department did not receive any additional funding for colleges besides the inflation-linked increases. TVET colleges have been cut and no funding has been provided to expand them.

• Given the total amount of money that we have, we need to think about what can be done to expand the college sector without sacrificing the need to reach 1.62 million university enrolments by 2023. 

Additionally, the department has initiated several programs, including a skills center in Sekhukhune that cost just under R150 million.

It was noted by the minister that the money for the center came from the skills fund, not from the fiscus.It is expected that the skills center will open its doors later this year.

Nzimande also noted that the registration and admission processes for the 2023 academic year have been standardized, as well as the issuing of certificates.TVET colleges also embraced technology during enrolment, and a large number of students were accepted via online applications.