Civil rights organisations want the government to do more to keep pupils in school and ensure there is representation of the young in decision making positions.
Scores of primary and high school pupils joined two NGOs – National Youth Coalition (NYC) and Zero Dropout as they marched to the Union Building to demand the government do more to support young people in the country.
The two group’s Youth Day commemoration was also filled with festivities where young people performed on a stage set up outside the Union Buildings.
Zero Dropout Campaign, Communication manager Colin Wardle, decried the dropout rate in the country which he said is estimated at 40% of children entering Grade 1 won’t actually complete their basic education.
“That of course has a detrimental impact on the prospect of them obtaining future qualifications as well as job opportunities which in turn perpetuates cycles of poverty and unemployment. For us it is paramount essential that children are provided with these children with resources as well as the opportunities,” said Wardle.
According to the General Household Survey released by StatsSA, there are close to 3% of 15-year-olds and nearly 9% of 17-year-olds who dropped out of school in 2021.
The same survey also revealed that almost three out of 10 pupils aged 18 years (29,3%) and 4 out of 9 (46,3%) of 19-year-olds had dropped out of school.
NYC Interim Chairperson, Irfaan Mangera said there is a decline in the number of young people participating in key decision making activities attributing this to a lack of representation in decision making positions.
“You see a decline of participation by young people in democracy. You see through elections. You see it through engagement at local level, in councils, in IDP sessions and that as a result of failure to recognise that there is no young person who is in these positions, to inspire confidence and to say here is a person that I believe in or who I can get behind.”
“If you have the oldest Minister of cabinet way into the 70s who is leading a Department of Youth, it doesn’t make sense to young people because that person is completely out of touch with reality of Gen Alpha, millennials and Gen Z. For us being able to make sure we create a consciousness. We don’t want just any young person. We don’t want tokenistic youth, we want to be able to capacitate young people so that they are able to lead and represent our view when they are in parliament. When they get to legislatures and so on,” said Mangera.
