FETs must be rated like varsities - Blade

HIGHER Education Minister Blade Nzimande said yesterday the qualifications of Further Education and Training colleges should be rated just as high as university degrees.

Speaking at the FET Asherville campus in Durban yesterday, Nzimande said FET colleges should no longer operate as "glorified high schools".

Nzimande said qualifications obtained in the colleges were important to fill the immense shortage of skilled workers in the country.

He said the department was working very hard to make it easy for learners from poor backgrounds to get an education and address skill shortages.

"The increase of registrations by 60%, over a half in our colleges means that communities begin to understand the importance of sending their children in these colleges. The institutions are critical in driving the economic growth in the country," he said.

Nzimande said students that qualify from FETs have practical experience as compared to those who qualified from universities.

In an effort to improve qualifications from the colleges, Nzimande said his department has established relationships with some industries to ensure that lecturers also get exposed to the workplace environment.

He also said the department would institute an audit to investigate on the financial needs and staffing for the colleges and that FETs would no longer be controlled in the provincial departments of education, but all administration would be taken over by the national department of higher education and training.