Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela has cautioned against allowing isolated incidents at individual Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges to undermine confidence in the entire sector.
His comments follow recent parliamentary oversight visits to several TVET colleges, where Members of Parliament identified a number of concerns, including reports of an unqualified human resources manager.
Some lecturers were also reportedly found to be teaching without the required qualifications or outside their areas of expertise.
While acknowledging that these challenges need to be addressed, Manamela says they should not create the impression that the country's entire TVET system is failing.
“We should not drive a perception on the basis of an incident that happened at one college,” Manamela said.
He highlighted the scale of the sector, noting that South Africa has 50 TVET colleges serving approximately half a million students.
Many of these students are enrolled in occupational and trade programmes designed to equip them with practical skills and improve their employment prospects.
“Most of those young people are in trades that will lead them to employment,” Manamela said.
He added that many TVET institutions have highly capable lecturers and officials who are contributing to the development of students and the broader economy.
Manamela acknowledged that problems exist at some colleges but said the findings from parliamentary oversight visits should be used as an opportunity to strengthen and reform the sector.
Rather than allowing the shortcomings to discourage confidence in TVET colleges, he said the information gathered should help government identify weaknesses and improve institutional performance.
“We will not be despaired by one or two,” Manamela said.
The minister described the oversight findings as valuable information that could assist government in its efforts to strengthen TVET colleges and position them as a credible alternative for young people seeking education, technical skills and employment opportunities.
He said the focus should remain on addressing weaknesses where they occur while ensuring that the achievements and contribution of the broader TVET sector are not overshadowed by isolated incidents.
The government wants TVET colleges to play a greater role in addressing unemployment and providing young South Africans with skills that match the needs of the economy and industry.