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By Johnathan Paoli
Deputy President Paul Mashatile has called for urgent education reform, facilitating greater opportunities for graduates and encouraging skills development as a national priority in addressing the scourge of youth unemployment in the country.
Delivering the keynote address during the Youth Day commemoration at North-West University’s Rag Farm Stadium under the theme “Skills for a Changing World – Empowering Youth for Meaningful Economic Participation”, Mashatile placed the future of South Africa’s youth at the centre of the nation’s developmental agenda.
“In this regard, this year’s theme is more relevant to the noble cause for which the generation of 1976 and those who came before them were prepared to lay down their lives. It embodies the essence of what we aim to achieve together – a future where our youth are not just empowered, but actively engaged in shaping a better tomorrow,” Mashatile said.
Celebrating the progress made in education, the deputy president noted the leap in the national matric pass rate, from 58% in 1994 to 87.3% in 2025, and the substantial expansion of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, which now supported over 1.1 million students.
“While we are not yet where we want to be, we are far removed from the inequality inherited at the dawn of democracy,” Mashatile said.
He highlighted racial and gender transformation in higher education, citing that Black students now made up 80% of enrolments and women accounted for more than 60% of tertiary graduates.
Yet he acknowledged the severity of the youth unemployment crisis.
“More than 3.8 million young people are not in education, employment or training. Even graduates are struggling — nearly one in four remains unemployed. This is not just an economic issue. It is a moral emergency,” he said.
Mashatile emphasised that education reform must align with the rapidly evolving demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
He referenced government strategies such as the National Digital and Future Skills Strategy and the Digital Economy Masterplan and called for revolutionising learning practices.
The deputy president said the newly launched South African National Service Institute would provide structured practical training in artificial intelligence, robotics, energy and agriculture.
Mashatile called for a cultural shift, reiterating that entrepreneurship was one of the keys to building a better future.
This was echoed by National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) executive deputy chairperson Karabo Mohale, who issued a passionate plea for a youth-centered economy.
“Young people are not looking for handouts. They are looking for a chance to contribute. Turn labs into launch pads. Fund youth-led innovations. Create jobs where young people live in rural areas and townships,” she urged.
The NYDA’s initiatives, including the Youth Challenge Fund and the Grant Programme, were aimed to catalysing entrepreneurship, particularly for those without traditional employment access.
In his address, North West Premier Lazarus Mokgosi acknowledged the province’s status as having the highest unemployment rate in the country.
He maintained the provincial government was taking action, referencing the recruitment of 2000 youth into a R57 million dry beans farming initiative and the launch of artisanal training for 3000 youth in collaboration with the SA National Defence Force.
He also celebrated ongoing infrastructure and bursary investments, noting that 700,000 learners were currently attending no-fee schools, and over 480 youth would be trained in AI and robotics over the next two years.
“Let us remember, revolution is not just about slogans,” he said, quoting Pan Africanist revolutionary Thomas Sankara. “It is the transformation of reality to improve the concrete situation of our people.”
While celebrations carried on, protests flared in the nearby Ikageng township, where residents barricaded roads demanding water, sanitation and employment in public works programmes.
Mokgosi acknowledged these frustrations.
“We are working with municipalities daily to address these service issues. These youth are not forgotten,” he said.
The SA Democratic Teachers’ Union issued a strong statement demanding concrete action.
“We must go beyond slogans. Invest in quality education that responds to 4IR. Expand access to technical training and support youth-led businesses,” Sadtu spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said.
Cembi cited youth unemployment statistics from the first quarter, describing the 46.1% unemployment increase among youth, with 4.8 million young people without jobs, as a betrayal of the sacrifices of 1976.
Concluding his address, Mashatile called for collective responsibility.
“The future belongs to our young people. We must open the doors of learning wide enough so that no youth is left behind,” he said.
He added a reminder that some young people have stopped believing, describing the country as standing at a crossroads between historical memory and future opportunity, between policy and lived reality.
Earlier in the day, Mashatile, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube and Sports and Recreation Minister Gayton McKenzie handed over a multi-purpose sport facility of Promosa Secondary School in Potchefstroom.
INSIDE EDUCATION