Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education has visited the University of Mpumalanga.
Issues related to learning and teaching, governance, administration, and safety in institutions of higher learning were raised.
The committee also visited and TVET colleges in Mbombela and Mapulaneng, to assess the state of readiness for the 2023 academic year.
The committee raised concerns about the state of some of the TVET colleges.
Chairperson of the committee, Nompumelelo Mkhatshwa, says there are some challenges regarding the registration of students in some institutions.
“When we speak about capacity, we speak about tuition, the capability of the government to pay for students to have access to education. We are hoping that the ministerial tasks team funding is going to speak to particularly addressing the issue of free education for the missing middle and let me speak about the infrastructures capability to take an absorb all of us.”
All the challenges listed during the oversight visit will be taken to parliament for further discussion with the view of finding solutions. The registration for first year students at the University of Mpumalanga starts on Monday.
Meanwhile, scores of prospective Unisa students were left frustrated and inconvenienced on the last day of registration at the institution. That’s after student leaders shut down the Sunnyside campus. They’re demanding that registration be extended.
Unisa student leaders shut down the Sunnyside campus:
