TVET education is criticised in Mpumalanga 

An increase in the number of unemployed graduates is seen as the TVET sector’s failure to provide “the relevant education”.

SASCO in Mpumalanga is calling for what they say is “curriculum transformation” in the province’s TVET colleges and believes the current curriculum is a factor to the growing unemployment.

The student organisation’s Siyabonga Shabalala said they want the college to invest in research and improve their curriculum.

He said they have a campaign called ‘TVET Must Rise’ and as part of the campaign they are calling for the “transformation of TVET education”.

“Students are studying courses like office admin and we are expected to say this is right during this time of a 4th industrial revolution?

“As SASCO, we are saying they must leave this thing of stealing money that belongs to the institution for themselves and the friends they hire in the colleges but must do their job. We want them to take the students’ future seriously and invest in research to improve the education they give to young people,” he said.

“They must make sure that the education improves as they are sitting in those offices and that’s what as SASCO we are saying,” Shabalala said of the college management.

The provincial treasurer said they want a “curriculum transformation” and that the current curriculum was to blame for rising unemployment, “where graduates continue to be unemployed”.

“There is no plan of how to absorb them in the job market. Nothing. All that you see is management caring for their own salaries and jobs, no research. Nothing.

“So we believe something must be done with the TVET colleges,” he added when he spoke to 013NEWS Wednesday this week.

“And also we are fighting that students should not find themselves in accommodations where you don’t know whether they are students or animals,” he said.

He added they are planning a march to demand amongst other things the issue of “curriculum transformation”, a “proper funding model” for poor students to get stipends and they will also raise the issue of alleged corruption at the Gert Sibande TVET college.

013NEWS couldn’t immediately get a comment from the Gert Sibande TVET college on the allegations of corruption as the CEO’s office number rang unanswered Thursday morning.

(edited by ZK) 

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