DA to probe revelation of dysfunctional TVET colleges

06 July 2014

In a Portfolio Committee Meeting held in Parliament this week, the Director-General of the Department of Higher Education and Training revealed that 8 of South Africa's 50 TVETs, formerly known as FET colleges, have been placed under administration and a further 13 are now under forensic investigation. 

I will submit parliamentary questions to the Higher Education and Training Minister, Blade Nzimande, to determine:

An explanation for the appalling state of each of these institutions; 

What measures the Department is taking to restore each of these institutions under administration to proper governance, and what timelines are in place for this process to be completed and reported upon; and

Why forensic investigations are being conducted on 13 TVETs and what timelines are in place for these to be completed and reported upon. 

The Department of Higher Education and Training continues to tout the former FETs, now called TVETs, as the answer to South Africa's current unemployment crisis and lack of skills. However, it is unlikely that they will produce quality graduates and successfully place them in the work environment if they continue to be failing institutions.

If Minister Nzimande is serious about tackling the challenges facing the country's uneducated youth, he needs to make the efficient management of these post-school educational institutions a priority.

Statement issued by Prof Belinda Bozzoli MP, DA Shadow Minister of Higher Education and Training, July 6 2014

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