Community organisation amandla.mobi urgently calls on Minister Buti Manamela to take immediate action and acknowledge the pressing concerns raised by students in their petition regarding funding for in-service training. The Department of Higher Education’s plan to phase out the NATED programme in favour of the new Occupational Qualifications has left current NATED students in a state of uncertainty.
Students started a petition asking the Minister to fund in-service training, which NSFAS currently does not fund. NSFAS only funds the first 18 months of their programme, and after that, the students are expected to independently secure in-service training and fund it from their own pockets in order to qualify for their diplomas. This has been an overwhelming struggle for many of them, as they struggle to access in-service training. Without financial resources, they find it difficult to access in-service training opportunities and, when they try to volunteer, the lack of funds for travel becomes another challenge.
“I completed my National Accredited Technical Education (NATED) studies in 2023, but since 2024, I have been struggling to complete the 18 months of practical training required to obtain my National N Diploma. We registered, studied, passed, and completed N4 to N6. Yet after all this hard work, many of us are left standing still year after year, not because we failed, but because there are no structured and funded in-service training opportunities available to us,” says Norman, a TVET student.
This issue has caused significant frustration among students, who are urging the minister not to ignore their concerns. The absence of their diplomas has led to stagnation in their lives. Some students have been waiting for their diplomas for over a decade, while others face rejection when they submit their in-service documents for reasons they cannot understand. This is an injustice. These students deserve the chance to complete their diplomas without the burden of unrealistic financial expectations. Immediate action is necessary to address this pressing issue.
For more information and interviews, contact:
Tebogo Malatji
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
Cell: 0621776937
References
- Umalusi to stop issuing new N3 certificates from 2026, Gugulethu Mashinini for Times Live, 10 January 2026.