Mashatile Calls for ‘Radical Reform’ of Education System as Unemployment Climbs

South Africa news: Mashatile Calls for ‘Radical Reform’ of Education System as Unemployment Climbs. Image for illustration purposes only, generated with AI.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has issued a stark warning, stating that South Africa’s education system requires “radical reforms” to produce the skills necessary to grow the economy and combat a devastating unemployment crisis.

His comments came during a meeting of the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC), which he chairs, following the release of the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey. Statistics South Africa revealed that the official unemployment rate has climbed to 32.9%, meaning nearly one-third of the workforce is without a job.

“We are meeting here today after a harsh reality was revealed to us by Stats SA,” Mashatile said. He highlighted that the burden of joblessness falls disproportionately on “youth, women and marginalized groups.”

The Deputy President directly linked the bleak employment figures to systemic failures in education and training. “We should ask ourselves about the effectiveness of our education and training in responding to the social and economic development agenda,” he stated.

He pointed to critical shortcomings in the “education skills development pipeline” and a persistent shortage of skills in key priority sectors, suggesting the current system is not aligned with the needs of the modern economy.

The council reportedly discussed its ambitious target of reducing unemployment by 10 to 20% by 2030—a goal some analysts have dismissed as unrealistic given the current trends.

In a candid admission, Mashatile criticized the government’s implementation record, acknowledging a gap between policy creation and real-world impact. “We have at this stage mastered the art of policy. However, some of these policies are not coming alive in the areas where they are needed to transform the lives of South Africans, particularly the youth.”

He emphasized that the country must now focus on “the discipline of execution.” The multi-sector meeting concluded that without significant and immediate changes, the crisis would persist.

The council ultimately acknowledged that “policy development without any radical reforms will never solve South Africa’s unemployment crisis,” setting a urgent tone for the need for concrete action to address the country’s most pressing socio-economic challenge.

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