Pretoria – Higher Education and Training Minister, Blade Nzimande has challenged campus managers in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges to deliver the same quality of teaching and learning, regardless of where the students study.
“Regardless of whether a young person is a student in Nqutu, Lusikisiki or in Germiston, the quality of the teaching must be equally good. It does not matter which TVET college or campus a student studies at, he or she must receive his or her learning materials such as textbooks, on the day lectures commence. All colleges receive resources to enable such a provision,” said Minister Nzimande.
The Minister was speaking at the opening of the Professional Development of TVET Colleges Campus Managers two-day workshop held in Khayelitsha, Western Cape.
The Professional Development of Campus Managers Project was established as part of the Implementation of the TVET college turnaround strategy. It is a three phase project funded by the National Skills Fund (NSF).
Addressing campus managers, Minister Nzimande insisted that students should not be disadvantaged because campus managers did not take the local conditions into account.
“A campus manager in an area where there are no suppliers close by, has to plan differently to a campus manager located in a large city, however, both campus managers must have textbooks ready for distribution with the commencement of a course. All students regardless of where they study, write the same examination,” Minister Nzimande said.
Whilst acknowledging that amongst campus managers, whose campuses are located in areas that do not always have running water, are not responsible, as this is due to draught, Minister Nzimande said that a hardworking and committed campus manager does not use this as an excuse for non-delivery of quality education.
The Minister also challenged the campus managers to be creative about how they can encourage businesses to support their initiatives.
“One may ask how is it that some of the campuses can afford to have world class workshops and facilities. Do they get more money from the department? No, they do not. Speak to managers who are present here and they will tell you that many companies are willing to sponsor our sector.
“However they will also tell you that: ‘no sponsor is willing to fund a poorly managed institution’. So managers, it is up you to show potential sponsors and partners that you manage a good campus and that if they partner with you both your campus and their businesses will benefit,” the Minister said.
More campus managers
He said that as part of the second phase, 110 more campus managers will be added to the project, making a total of 150 campuses managers.
He said that this will mean that there will be more opportunities to meet, share and work more closely with campus managers located closer to each other.
“Use this project to assist you in making those contacts and building Communities of Practice. In other words I am asking you not to restrict your ‘Communities of Practice’ to your province or regions. Central to this project and what makes this project different from many others is that it is built on experts from within the TVET College sector,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za
