Pupils must be encouraged to choose subjects suited to jobs in demand
Education system must keep up with the times, minister says
The education department should encourage school pupils to work hard and embrace challenging themselves academically.
Allowing pupils to choose between pure maths and maths literacy may limit their future opportunities.
Department of public works & infrastructure minister Sihle Zikalala made these comments during a constituency launch at the Thobi Kula Indoor Sports Centre on Friday.
Zikalala was assigned by parliament to address the needs of the Chris Hani District using the District Development Model, which formed part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s imbizo (public meeting) discussions in Tsomo recently.
“The Department of Basic Education must encourage pupils to work hard because the road to success is not an easy one.
“Taking the easier route works against us, we must stop substituting pure maths for maths literacy because pupils will not be able to develop further.
“We must teach children what will be able to advance and prepare them to earn a living in future,” Zikalala said.
SA also faced an education system that was not producing what the country’s economy demanded.
The minister said young people had benefited from the department’s youth programmes through education bursaries and youth development projects.
He said the department was involved in the building environment in which it developed engineers, quantity surveyors, architects, project managers and artisans.
“Civil engineers and structural engineers are what we work with daily because we have buildings that need to be designed and constructed,” he said.
“We need youth to take on courses that are in demand.
“We want boiler operators, electricians, building managers and water and waste treatment specialists.”
Many traditional career paths had become irrelevant in the modern world, he said.
With the introduction of smartphones and streaming services, the way people consumed news had changed.
“This means we need more information and communication technology specialists to keep up with the changing times.
“In this new era, it’s no longer necessary to write or type by hand.”
To keep up with the
changing world, Zikalala said the economy needed a workforce which was skilled in developing and using software programs, as well as repairing and maintaining computers and
smartphones. The minister said he planned to visit some of the district’s local municipalities soon to ensure the authorities were working together with their communities, using the
District Development Model. “We are now opening up doors for 100 bursaries in the next financial year for TVET Colleges or varsity enrollment.
“We must get pupils who are excelling in their studies because when 2024 begins, five of them must come from this area to venture into built environment studies.”
With 96 bridges being built as part of the department’s Welisizwe programme, 19 of which were in the Eastern Cape, the minister said qualified artisans would be needed.
He encouraged government departments to work with tertiary institutions.
“Unisa and the University of Fort Hare and NSFAS assisted youths with information for application purposes,” the minister said.
He said the department was trying to open up job opportunities from the Expanded Public Works Programme.
He said during his visit to view the brick road project in Emalahlani, the mayor had suggested that the bricks should be manufactured locally for the benefit of the local economy and to create jobs.
“This should include the EPWP work uniform which should also be manufactured here.
“We should also do that in Enoch Mgijima to alleviate poverty,” the minister said.