Let’s break down the barriers that keep young people locked out of jobs and quality education
16 June 2019
Today we observe Youth Day – the 43rd anniversary of the 1976 Soweto Uprisings – whereby tens of thousands of young South Africans stood up in protest against a system that discriminated against them and disregarded their legitimate role in society. Their protest on that day was against exclusion and neglect, and for that 176 children paid with their lives as they were gunned down by the police.
43 years later, and young people are still forced to fight a system that excludes them and locks them out of opportunities. While back then it was language used to discriminate and exclude, today it’s the rank failure of government to provide quality education, training, and job opportunities for our young people.
Our young people are still not truly free, and their prospects for a bright and successful future dwindle with each passing day. Four out of five children in grade 4 cannot comprehend what they read thanks to our education system, which is consistently ranked among the worst in the world.
This disadvantage follows many young people for the rest of their lives as today two-thirds of South Africans under the age of 24 cannot find work, and many of them eventually give up looking. Since 2008, at least 563 young people have joined the ranks of the unemployed each day.