Gwarube: Shift needed from degrees to practical skills
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has called for a fundamental shift in South Africa’s education approach, urging policymakers, educators, and society to move away from academic elitism and embrace practical skills development to combat the country's alarming youth unemployment crisis.
Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural Dialogue on Entrepreneurship Education in Boksburg on Monday, Gwarube emphasised the importance of aligning the school curriculum with economic demands.
"We're not saying we want to add additional subjects," she explained. "We're saying what do we have on offer already that we can augment, that we can make sure that even the learners who go to schools of skills, they're able to move between the Department of Higher Education and Training, DBE, seamlessly... and acquire skills as and when they need them."
South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025, with young people disproportionately affected.
Gwarube said the current education system does not sufficiently prepare pupils for the job market realities, highlighting a disconnect between qualifications and economic needs.
"For too long, there's been a premium that is held... that if you don't go to university, that is actually the marker of success. And yet the numbers tell us a different story — there's clearly a massive disjuncture of our understanding of what the economy needs."
Only 14 out of every 100 pupils who enter the schooling system make it to university, and just six graduate on time. Gwarube said the solution lies in reimagining success and opening multiple pathways to opportunity, including vocational training and entrepreneurship.
She also warned that attempts to build a skilled workforce will fail without fixing the deep-rooted literacy crisis at the foundation phase of education.
"You can't talk about a skills revolution if you're not talking about how do you fix your literacy crisis right at the foundations of learning," she stated.
"Now, for me, it's a massive opportunity because now, for the first time in our country, we start to look at a child from zero all the way to 18. Because, of course, an education system is systemic. It's continuous, it shouldn't be broken down."
The minister stressed that entrepreneurship cannot be taught in isolation, but must be deeply rooted in the South African context, where social impact is as important as profit.
"Entrepreneurship in South Africa must be rooted... a South African entrepreneur cannot just create profit. They must create a shared value for themselves and their communities."
Gwarube urged the public and private sectors, civil society, and educators to join forces and break silos to co-create sustainable solutions to the employment crisis.
"This gathering for me is more than just about transforming our collective awareness and mindset... It’s about saying, how do we respond to the call of the day? And the call of the day is, how do we create a young person that is ready for work, that can walk into a world of work, be impactful, and create a life of dignity for themselves?"
She also highlighted Africa’s demographic advantage — if properly harnessed.
"The scale of the challenge is huge, but so is the opportunity. Africa is the youngest continent on earth... and by 2050, we will be the home to the world's largest working-age population.
"Education is not only about preparing our youth for future education, training, and jobs. It is also about preparing them for life... Let us work together to ensure that entrepreneurship is not just a privilege of the few, but the possibility of the many."
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