Safetsa calls off TVET campus shutdown… for now

The South African Further Education and Training Student Association (Safetsa) called off its nationwide shutdown of the 265 Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) campuses and is giving Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande 14 days to address some of their concerns and grievances.

Safetsa general secretary Sibusiso Ntishibongo said they met Nzimande and his team on Friday and the department committed to addressing the problems highlighted by the association.

Nzimande agreed to keep intakes of students to the previous 664 748, instead of the proposed 421 648 for 2017.

“We decided to call the strike off to allow these students to go and register,” Ntishibongo said.

Nzimande also agreed to speak to Umalusi, the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training, and release the backlog results, as well as all certificates and diplomas.

“These results should be released by the end of next week.

“We have also given the department until the end of March to release the results of the students of 2016.”

Ntishibongo said they would re-evaluate the situation after 14 days. “If they do not keep their word and if they were lying to us, we will seek the help of the courts  and make the TVET sector ungovernable.”

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