Cape Town – The Department of Higher Education and Training will send at least 100 South African students to China next year to study critical future skills, addressing the skills mismatch in the country.
This initiative follows Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane’s recent visit to China, where she was part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s delegation for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit.
Nkabane emphasised the importance of South Africa’s cooperation with China in education and technological advancement.
In addition, the minister announced that the 2025 NSFAS online application launch has been postponed to allow for system improvements.
“It was due to these critical consultations that we have had to postpone the launch of the 2025 NSFAS online application launch, which is a significant concern for students nationwide. Another reason for postponing the launch of the 2025 NSFAS online application process was to allow NSFAS to do a dry run of the online application system to stakeholders,” she said.
The application process will now begin on September 20, 2024.
Nkabane also held stakeholder consultations regarding the Post-School Education and Training (PSET) system, discussing issues like student funding, NSFAS inefficiencies, and institutional safety.
The department aims to increase enrolment by 2030, targeting 1.6 million university students and significantly boosting enrolments in TVET and community colleges.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
