Learners across South Africa will close their books for the second term on Friday, 27 June. The June-July holidays will span 24 days, including weekends, with schools reopening for the third term on Tuesday, 22 July.
Presidential Focus on Youth Employment in Schools
As schools prepare to close, President Cyril Ramaphosa turned his focus to youth employment, especially in education. During a visit to Pretoria on Tuesday, he addressed the impact of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention and the Presidential Employment Stimulus, both of which support work opportunities at schools.
“It is a phenomenal programme that has been able to bring in more than two million young people since COVID times,” Ramaphosa said.
“We have seen how successful it was. It is an overarching programme that covers almost all our 25 000 schools.”
Many of these young people have been placed in schools as education assistants, supporting teachers and gaining valuable experience. Ramaphosa praised the initiative’s benefits for unemployed youth: “We bring them into formal job situations, and they learn, gain knowledge, discipline and people skills.”
Looking Ahead Despite Budget Constraints
While acknowledging the limited resources available to sustain longer-term youth programmes, Ramaphosa emphasised their lasting value.
“With the EPWP, we became trailblazers in many ways because a number of countries started to look at public employment and how we execute it,” he added.
Ramaphosa also stressed the integrity of these programmes: “There have never been funny processes; it has been flawless.”
Are school-based youth employment programmes the key to solving South Africa’s job crisis among young people?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
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