A study of TVET colleges has made several recommendations, including tightening the appointment and vetting processes of council members and capping members' fees.

South African public colleges are plagued by political interference, corruption and nepotism, a study has revealed.

The ground-breaking research on the evaluation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges was conducted by Mzabalazo Advisory Services (MAS) in February. It was one of 30 research projects commissioned by the Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation in 2019 and funded by the National Skills Authority.

The five-year research programme was undertaken by the University of the Western Cape Institute for Post-School Studies (IPSS) working with MAS, the University of Cape Town, Rhodes University, Nelson Mandela University, the University of Fort Hare and Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

Other partners were Jet Education Services, the Swiss-South African Cooperation Initiative, the University of Nottingham, DNA Economics, AfriGIS and Advocacy Aid.

UWC spokesperson Gasant Abarder said they researched a broad range of issues, which focused on aspects including governance, infrastructure, curriculum, student issues and lecturer development. The IPSS was the lead research partner.

The process

The study entailed reviewing documents and conducting interviews and surveys with department officials, TVET council members, the South African Public Colleges Organisation and the South African Further Education and Training Students Association.

A survey was distributed...