By Charmaine Ndlela
To date, South Africa’s school assistants programme has created more than 1.3 million work opportunities, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his weekly newsletter on Monday.
“This is the largest youth employment programme in our country’s history, giving young people their first foothold in the world of work while strengthening the foundations of learning in the schools that need it most,” Ramaphosa said.
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The statement follows Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address on Thursday, where he said Grade R will be made compulsory as part of efforts to strengthen early childhood development (ECD).
He said the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, working with an implementation partner, is helping more than 1,000 previously disadvantaged and underfunded ECD centres meet the qualifying criteria for an ECD subsidy.
General school assistants are required to have at least a Grade 9 qualification, while education assistants must hold a matric certificate, he said.
Ramaphosa acknowledged that while access to schooling has expanded and matric outcomes have improved, major challenges persist.
“Access to resources and quality teaching is uneven. Schools in townships and rural areas often struggle with overcrowding, and educators have limited access to professional development and support,” he said.
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In the most recent phase of the programme, 32% of education assistants had some form of tertiary qualification, and 14% held teaching qualifications, he said. Assistants receive training in school safety, online safety, financial literacy, word processing, AI fluency, and coding.
“The initiative provides work experience and livelihood support while at the same time advancing the public good,” Ramaphosa said.
“It forms part of the Public Employment Stimulus to deliver employment and livelihood programmes on a large scale while providing social value in the process.”
He said the work of assistants enables teachers to focus on core responsibilities.
“The work of the education assistants allows teachers to spend more time on teaching and lesson preparation, thereby contributing directly to improved educational outcomes,” he said.
Education assistants have been placed in 19,000 no-fee primary schools to support numeracy and literacy, including acting as Reading Champions who promote bilingual reading, he said.
“The effect of this intervention is being seen in rapid improvements in foundational literacy skills in many schools,” Ramaphosa said.
He added that assistants also support digital learning, help care for at-risk learners, and serve as laboratory and workshop assistants.
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“For many of the school assistants, this experience is transformative. They are gaining skills and real work experience that will serve them well in finding employment and succeeding in their careers.”
Ramaphosa also highlighted government efforts to expand ECD, including through the Bana Pele mass registration of ECD facilities and increased subsidies for learners.
“As we work to expand access to early childhood development through the Bana Pele mass registration of ECD facilities and increased subsidies for learners, the Presidential Employment Stimulus has stepped up support to the sector through the Social Employment Fund,” he said. Over 50,000 children are benefiting from nutritional support and learning materials, he said.
“Meeting the constitutional imperative to provide quality education to our nation’s young is an all-of-society effort,” Ramaphosa said. “These initiatives illustrate the benefits of cooperation between government, the private sector, and civil society.”
Government wants to expand the programme further, he said.
“It is our aspiration that this successful programme should continue to grow as we strive to create more work opportunities for young South Africans while delivering quality education for all.
“We are intensifying efforts to fix the basic education system, with a focus on early learning, literacy and numeracy, and mother-tongue-based bilingual education.”
INSIDE EDUCATION
