JOHANNESBURG - The Democratic Alliance is calling for an urgent audit of staff qualifications and leadership at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges.
This follows oversight visits that raised concerns about lecturers teaching subjects outside their areas of expertise.
The party says the audit is needed to establish whether TVET colleges have the capacity to properly prepare young people for the job market.
DA MP Karabo Khakhau says training and education should provide a direct link between young people and their participation in the economy.
She says the current situation is therefore deeply concerning.
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Khakhau points to Flavius Mareka TVET College in the Free State as an example, where lecturers specialising in mathematics have allegedly been moved to teach engineering-related subjects because the college does not have enough suitably qualified lecturers.
She says this has resulted in an imbalance in skills, with some areas having an oversupply of expertise while others lack the necessary capacity.
The DA also raised concerns about leadership at TVET colleges and accused the Department of Higher Education of failing to adequately hold institutional leaders accountable.
The party has therefore called for an audit of all staff, including lecturers, their qualifications and areas of expertise.
Khakhau says the DA has requested feedback from TVET colleges, including Gert Sibande and King Hintsa TVET colleges, within 30 days.
The audit, she says, should help determine just how widespread the problem is and whether the institutions are adequately equipped to prepare students for the workplace.