Johannesburg - Young people want education, skills and a chance to help shape a better South Africa.
These are the views of young people who spoke to The Star on the first day of Youth Month in Soweto.
These young people were part of more than 200 learnership and bursary students from across Gauteng who yesterday gathered at Ubuntu Kraal in Orlando West for the Gauteng Department of Education programme called Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA) Bursary Awards ceremony.
The department has partnered with more than 80 stakeholders, including institutions of higher learning, corporate companies and other skills development practitioners, in a bid to ensure young people access critical skills and training in diverse industries.
The ceremony is an annual ceremony that awards top-performing learners in the province’s basic education sector with funding and support towards their tertiary education in various career fields.
With the country’s youth month in full force, The Star spoke to bursary recipients and learners who, through their hard work and dedication, were now beneficiaries of opportunities. Many said they were grateful for these opportunities but fear the county’s current climate, dogged by load shedding and youth unemployment.
Mpho Shongwe, a Wits student and a recipient of a bursary, called on young leaders to rise up and lead as young people are being failed by leaders and a poor education, which is failing the country and young people in particular.
“The root of our problem is the failure of the education system. Because of that, we now lack leadership and leadership skills, and our unemployment is a result of the incompetence of our leaders. Youth month is an opportunity for us as young people to express how they feel about the current situation in our country and be the voice on the current situation and how it has affected them, whether negatively or positively,” he said.
Speaking during a session with the young people and stakeholders, Education MEC Matome Chiloane said young people should be empowered through education, training skills, and entrepreneurship in order to boost the township economy.
He said the department has set aside R3 billion for youth development to ensure that issues affecting young people are prioritised.
"We have set aside R3 billion just for youth development. We in Gauteng alone have R3 billion that we are putting into changing the lives of the youth in our province. We have declared poverty our enemy. We are fighting poverty. We are fighting unemployment. We are fighting a lack of skills. We are fighting substance abuse. We are fighting any social ill that is stopping our youth from succeeding in life," he said.
The Star