President Cyril Ramaphosa has committed to increasing the number of artisans who are produced through the country’s higher education system.
“To ensure that the economy has the skills it needs, we are increasing the production of artisans through Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges,” he said.
Delivering his 2025 State of the Nation Address at the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday evening, Ramaphosa said this move is an attempt to shift the country’s undertaking towards endorsing both formal and informal qualifications.
Endorsing both formal and informal qualifications
South Africa will be looking to use models that have proved to be successful in other countries. Then the government will ensure that the private sector offers young people experiential learning opportunities while they undertake their studies.
In countries like Germany, Austria and Switzerland, a well-established vocational training system funnels a majority of 15- to 20-year-olds into skilled work.
There are over 400 TVET colleges in the country, with over 50 of them are government-run, while the rest are private.
However, there are a number of stumbling blocks for these institutions, according to Professor of Education at the Centre for Researching Education and Labour, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Stephanie Allais.
She attributes the shortcomings of TVET colleges to institutions location and a shifting set of qualifications. Also quality assurance arrangements in these colleges, among other pressures.
Shifting set of qualifications
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, encouraged learners to consider the TVET during an oversight visit to post-school education and training (PSET) institutions in the Western Cape this week.
“I am very encouraged by what I’m seeing at TVET colleges. And 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,” Gondwe said.
Ramaphosa also emphasised the need to expand access to early childhood development (ECD) for every child. This through registering and formalising existing centres and ensuring that they have the facilities. As well as training and material that they need to provide quality early learning.
The president believes this is a critical step in ensuring that children can read with meaning in the foundation phase.
New programme for literacy and numeracy
“To achieve this, we are implementing mother tongue-based bilingual education to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes. And we are rolling out lesson plans, reading books and other interventions that have been proven to work,” he reiterated.
The 2024 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS, 2021) revealed a disappointing statistic. It revealed that 81% South African children cannot read for comprehension in any of the 11 official languages.
