Government must focus on providing quality education for the youth
Amnesty International has called on the government to provide quality education in a safe environment if it wants to decrease youth unemployment in South Africa.
“This, however, is not possible if the country’s education system is still broken and unequal,” Amnesty International South Africa Executive Director Shenilla Mohamed said.
She said the dire state of education in South Africa has a direct impact on youth unemployment in this country.
“Quality education is one of the most powerful ways to give our children a bright future. If the government wants the youth to participate in the economy, it needs to ensure that every child, no matter their background, are given quality education,” she said.
Mohamed said data released by Statistics South Africa, shows for the first quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate was 63.9% for those aged between 15-24 and 42.1% for those aged 25-34 years.
She said children also need to be able to learn in a safe environment, with Amnesty International South Africa has previously raised the issue of pit toilets which are still prevalent in hundreds of South African schools.
“??The Department of Basic Education has been repeatedly moving the deadline when it comes to eradicating pit toilets and ensuring that all schools have proper and safe sanitation facilities, and in doing so continuing to fail learners.”
“The Department now plans to eradicate pit latrine toilets within the 2022/23 financial year and we need to continue putting pressure on them to ensure that this happens,” Mohamed said.
“These illegal pit toilets are not only violating the right to sanitation which is enshrined in the Constitution, but also the right to health, education, dignity, and privacy, whilst in some cases posing a serious risk to the right to life.
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