President Cyril Ramaphosa has commended the efforts of around 280 000 young people who were employed as education assistants as part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP).
The PESP created around 280 000 employment opportunities in 22 000 schools around the country for young people. Youth were employed as education and general school assistants. However, after 10 months, the programme will come to an end.
Ramaphosa said, “Beyond the monthly stipend, the programme has provided young people with work experience and skills. They have received accredited training across several disciplines, ranging from digital literacy to basic bookkeeping, from child and youth care to bricklaying, plastering and plumbing.”
Click Here To Read About The Experiences Of Education Assistants
Ramaphosa called on the private sector to harness the skills obtained by youth through the programme by providing them with jobs. He added that businesses will also benefit from employment tax incentives when they hire young people.
Education expert Professor Brahm Fleisch says it's impressive that the government managed to establish a programme that created employment for youth on a large scale.
Fleisch acknowledged that while the initiative was not a long-term intervention, it allowed young people to gain valuable work experience which is an important stepping stone for a hopefully long career.
They called on the government to investigate long term solutions and create policy interventions aimed at combating unemployment in South Africa. These policy interventions must be based on empirical evidence in the South African context.
A new phase of the teaching assistant programme will be launched in 2023.
