{
  "id": 5286293,
  "title": "JOBS CRISIS OP-ED: Bring back the Basic Education Employment Initiative — SA youth need it urgently",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/jobs-crisis-op-ed-bring-back-the-basic-education-employment",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-03T08:48:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Maverick",
    "slug": "daily-maverick",
    "url": "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-09-03-bring-back-the-basic-education-employment-initiative-sa-youth-need-it-urgently/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As South Africa's economy continues to lose jobs, it is crucial to address the urgent need for young people. Recent statistics reveal that young people face the harshest unemployment rate at 47.4%, with formal sector employment decreasing by 41,000 jobs in just three months, mostly in community and social services. While these numbers are alarming, they do not capture the profound impact on young people's confidence, identity, and sense of purpose.\n\nAt Masinyusane Development Organisation, we have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEI). During the last round, we trained over 400 young people to implement Zazi iZandi, a play-based intervention that helps Grade 1 children meet reading benchmarks. The assistants not only supported children in learning to read but also became integral to improving foundation phase learning outcomes.\n\nThese employment opportunities offer more than economic relief; they are a transformative experience for young people, pupils, and their households and communities. Since 2020, BEI has created over a million opportunities, primarily benefiting females, rural, and poor areas. This initiative has empowered young people with income, experience, and purpose, while also strengthening schools that struggle with limited resources.\n\nOur experience demonstrates that unemployment affects young people in diverse ways. Many are mothers, family heads, and pillars of their households, navigating poverty, food insecurity, mental health, and trauma. Despite these challenges, young people are not passive or despondent. For instance, Lithemba Mhlobo, who was unemployed and had not been accepted into tertiary education, found purpose as an education assistant, helping a Grade 2 pupil improve his reading skills.\n\nTo ensure lasting public value, we propose four key changes for a revived BEI: secure multiyear funding for improved planning, align the intervention with the school calendar for at least 10 months, provide comprehensive training and mentorship for assistants to develop further study or employment pathways, and enhance learning outcomes with additional mechanisms and tools.\n\nThe urgency to bring back a strengthened BEI is paramount. As we listen to young people's experiences, we see the potential for hope and progress when funding tackles socioeconomic challenges in communities. Lithemba's journey from despair to empowerment represents thousands of stories that could be transformed with renewed investment in the BEI.",
  "summary": "While South Africa’s economy continues to shed jobs, what is our national strategy to support young people? The Basic Education Employment Initiative has been providing opportunities against a backdrop of poor market performance – and it needs to be brought back.",
  "key_points": [
    "47.4% unemployment rate for South Africa's youth",
    "BEI created over a million opportunities since 2020",
    "Four proposed changes for a revived BEI"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}