COSAS PROTEST PLANS AT PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Issued by: National Youth Commission

NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION STATEMENT: COSAS PROTEST PLANS AT PRIVATE SCHOOLS

The NYC has noted intentions expressed by the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) to target private schools for mass protest action between 26 - 30 January, While we respect the right of organisations to engage in peaceful forms of protest, we firmly believe that no particular sector of our society or set of institutions should bear the brunt of blame for the recent matric results. The responsibility for the education culture in which our young people can best thrive is a collective one not only for those in the education sector but for all society and there is clearly room for improvement by every party concerned. The issue of government subsidisation of private schools is only one element of a complex problem that can only be remedied through a holistic analysis and strategy involving ideas, contributions and improvement from all stakeholders in the education sector. We stand by our earlier statement that the current finger-pointing between teachers, parents, students and the Department of Education and Training regarding the disappointing national results is a misdirection of energies that could and should be best channeled in the same direction. While there is understandable disappointment, perhaps even anger, about the recent matric results, we urge all parties to keep the interests of improving the educational prospects of all youth central to the unfolding political exchanges.

Despite the immediacy of poor results, the NYC also nevertheless believes that the passage of the 1997 Schools Act was ultimately a victory for youth and that it lays the right foundation for meaningful development of young men and women. That it appears as though these benefits may only be yielded in the medium to long term is, of course, no consolation to frustrated matriculants this year. The situation is not helped by the fact that available opportunities and resources fall far short of catering to the needs of each year's matriculating class.

Nevertheless, young people have reason to take confidence in the fact that the concerns and hurdles faced during the very difficult time of moving from high school to the workplace, to higher education and - for many - to unemployment have been taken into account and worked on by the National Youth Commission with a clear view towards maximising youth opportunity and potential. The National Youth Policy - set for 1998 adoption by government - moots a number of initiatives which promise to minimise the hurdles faced by matriculants and out-of-school youth. In particular, the following are key elements of the Policy's Action Plan which should hopefully see practical benefits as early as the end f this year:

• Expansion of youth and community colleges for out-of-school young people. Programmes and services provided by youth and community colleges will be expanded to incorporate and address the needs of all out-of-school young women and men, and not only those who failed matric. These will include pre-employment training, vocational training and skills development, as well as remedial courses to help out-of-school youth to catch-up and return to school. The National Youth Commission, in close consultation with the Department of Education, will investigate current curricula, action plans and accreditation of youth and community colleges to find ways where development and placement of out-of-school young people takes place through these institutions.
• Student financing. The main issues to be addressed when considering the issue of student financing are the need to ensure that a lack of personal finance does not prevent a young person from enrolling in higher education and finding a way to deal with growing student debt. In particular, a financial aid programme for Further and Higher Education, incorporating a revolving system of repayments into a national educational finance aid scheme, will be pursued. This project will include investigating the feasibility of qualifying and offsetting student debt through internships and community work via National Youth Service,
• National Youth Service As conceptualised by the 165 national youth organisations attending the 2nd National Youth Summit, the National Youth Service identifies unemployed, out-of-school and school-leaving youth as amongst its key target groups. Service will provide new life, work and educational opportunities to these young men and women and aims to integrate them into society through a structured, nationally- accredited skills and work programme.

While we obviously share the disappointment felt by learners and the entire country, we nevertheless believe that the education policy is on the right track and, in particular, that the fruits of the work of the NYC will contribute towards the provision of greater educational and skills development opportunities for youth. We will be working furiously in conjunction with relevant departments of government to ensure these initiatives yield benefits as soon as possible.

Mahlengi Bhengu NYC Chairperson

Further enquiries may be forwarded to NYC communications director Paul Johnson on Cell / Voicemail 082 771 8465.