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Where is our country going?

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So we heard our president’s State of the Nation Address of 2015.

We watched how adults can behave badly, we laughed at the circus act, and we posted funny pics and videos on social platforms.

We became SONA commentators and put in our two cents worth on twitter and FB.

Did we stop to wonder what message this is sending to our youth of South Africa?

This country has one of the worst youth-unemployment problems in the world.  

Quoting from what I read recently from a source I cannot recall: "less than half the working-age population is employed, and the figures for those under 35 are even worse."

The future looks a bit scary for the youth… we hear people saying "there are no jobs for our children".

In South Africa, it has been drummed into the people for years that getting a good education, is the way to get a good job, and this is reinforced by the vast amounts of poverty evident almost everywhere you go. 

Nobody wants to end up hungry or living on the streets, begging for money, and even worse turning to a life of crime just to survive.

We don’t just have issues with the youth finding employment after school. It starts with whether they will even complete the formal schooling first.

In many cases the youth drop out of school before their final year of formal schooling. If they make it past their final year at school, many do not qualify for tertiary educations.

Then it comes down to whether they afford the exorbitant fees of tertiary education; if they do qualify.

There are only so many bursaries and scholarships available. Most times it’s the top achievers who get them.

So we return to the average achieving young adult finding an entry level job. How long this will take? it’s anyone’s guess.

We have to stop pussyfooting around and realise that we do have a huge problem in our country, and that is youth unemployment. We need to relook at our education system and find a way to bridge the gap.

We have allowed maths and maths literacy - WHY? Because we have acknowledged that not every child can excel at everything.

Not every child is figure orientated, nor is every child a budding historian.

Maybe it’s time to bring in certain subjects which will assist students to have a better footing if they do not qualify or cannot afford to go to tertiary level e.g. workplace skills; entrepreneurial skills, farming skills etc.

Let’s face it, we are all not academically blessed, however some of us, have a creative side or other skills which go unchecked.

Certain children are fortunate enough to attend schools which have an array of subjects to choose from. However on the less fortunate side, other schools have set subject choices.

Our government is trying to meet the future by trying to do what they did in the past, and along the way, we are scaring off millions of kids who don’t see any purpose in going to school.

They will either fail, not complete or find a job so why bother?

What is SA’s long-term solution to youth unemployment? Do we even have a plan? not the old plans which changed curriculums over and over. I speak of change which brings business and government together to address the problem.

I know it seems simple in my mind’s eye, but from the outside looking in, it makes sense to me.

I don’t know how the inner workings will be met, but I am sure if business and government worked together, they might find a way forward.

This might assist school-leavers in getting a foot in the door as a first-time employee, or starting a small business with the help of big business.

It would have bridged the first gap in work readiness. They would have laid the foundation in obtaining basic skills to get them in, and allow businesses to then cultivate these skills.

When I went to school, I was told if I worked hard and did well, I would get to go to University and I will get a well-paid job. So I did work hard, I did do well.

My mother was a widow, she couldn’t afford to send me to varsity. When I matriculated, Apartheid was still a law. It was not easy for her to get me to the perfect dream.

So I ended up finding employment, doing something that "pays the bills", rather than doing something out of choice. Since then, I have worked twice as hard, without a piece of paper to my name, to be where I am.

Not much has changed since then. For some it’s a similar story, and for others who are fortunate enough to go to tertiary institutions, an education is not a guarantee in getting a job.

In fact less than 10% of graduates end up in their chosen profession. 

As a society we need to make sure our government tries to help the children of South Africa, it’s their duty to, but if we don’t push them, this problem will never be solved.

Government has the power to reach the youth. Business has the power to educate government on what skills they need in order to employ the youth.

We hear it from people, be it in the workplace or just randomly. Our youth are "just sitting at home". This has a collective impact, socio-economic impact, crime etc.

There is no quick fix to a problem which was decades in the making.

However if we the people of South Africa, try to find solutions and put it forward,  we must remember that youth unemployment is not just a problem for government.

At least we are doing something, which might motivate our children.

It’s all our responsibility. South Africa needs to change. For SA to change, we need fresh new ideas and game changers.

Do we as citizens want to be change makers or just sit back and be detached, laugh at the circus acts whilst social, economic, education failures threaten us all?

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