By Akani Nkuna
Deputy Higher Education Minister Mimmy Gondwe has praised the efficiency of her department’s help desk in addressing queries, saying it demonstrates the government’s commitment in supporting students and stakeholders in the sector.
“I am happy to announce that since its establishment in August this year, as of the end of November, the desk has dealt with close to 7000 queries and managed to resolve 75% of those queries,” said Gondwe said in a newsletter published by her department.
The primary function of the help desk is to offer swift, personalised support to students and stakeholders, addressing queries and concerns, particularly those related to National Student Financial Aid Scheme and the delayed issuance of diplomas and certificates.
“It emerged early on in my tenure that students and other stakeholders did not feel they had an outlet where their grievances and issues were heard and promptly responded to. My response to this was to establish the help desk in my office,” Gondwe added.
In the newsletter, the deputy minister spoke about the Government of National Unity and its priorities, which included inclusive growth and job creation, making it easier for people to access opportunities and benefit from economic growth.
“Education must be seen as a means to an end which is ensuring that those who acquire it can use their skills to participate meaningfully in the economy either as employees or as entrepreneurs employing others,” she said.
The department co-hosted the inaugural Skills and Jobs Investment Summit with the Johannesburg Business School at the University of Johannesburg, bringing together key stakeholders. They were from the post-school education and training sector, TVETs, SETAs, government, industry and academia.
“The summit succeeded in bringing to light the pressing issues in South Africa’s skills development landscape by fostering meaningful dialogue among stakeholders from industry, academia, government, and community organizations,” Gondwe said.
It provided a platform for a thorough examination of the existing gaps between education and employment, identifying the key challenges that prevented educational institutions from producing graduates with skills that meet the demands of the labour market.
Gondwe welcomed the initiative to create innovation hubs and integrate entrepreneurial skills into education programmes, recognising its potential to prepare graduates for both employment and self-employment.
She also voiced concerns about the proliferation of unaccredited and fraudulent private colleges nationwide, which could undermine the quality of education and hinder the country’s progress.
“Bogus or illegal colleges that do not follow or flout the prescripts of the law cause, what is sometimes irreparable harm to students when they are forced to shut down,” she said.
The department partnered with the City of Joburg in November to launch an awareness campaign to expose and prevent illegal or bogus private higher education institutions.
It seeks to educate prospective students on how to identify and avoid these unaccredited colleges.
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