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South Africa: Govt to Invest More in Youth Development
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BuaNews (Tshwane)
12 May 2008
Posted to the web 12 May 2008
Bathandwa Mbola
Johannesburg
Government has invested substantially in the youth and girl-child and it will do more to develop them, says Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka was speaking at a "Feed the Hungry Campaign" event in Johannesburg on Saturday, organised by Big Brother Big Sister South Africa.
Big Brothers Big Sister SA, an arm of the American organisation, is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that have a measurable impact on youth.
The vulnerable and needy from disadvantaged homes are feeling the most pressure with escalating costs, especially food prices.
Since young people make up the majority of our population, the deputy president said it was for this reason that an investment in their upliftment and education was a priority for all in government.
Government has invested substantially in the youth. In education, government has focused on plans that reach out to all children and youth of school-going-age from early childhood, which is being made free for the poor.
Nothing the challenges that the youth face, Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka encouraged the youth not to give up and to stay in school.
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"I know that you are faced daily with challenges of crime, unemployment, violence and substance abuse. I know how much you have to struggle with the cycle of poverty. But these challenges cannot and should not bring you down.
"Our future is dependent on education, generating skills and in promoting entrepreneurship among the youth."
It is for this reason that government policies and programmes emphasise the retaining of young people in schools, discouraging them from dropping out of schools before they complete their studies, and encouraging those young people out of schools to increase their life chances through Further Education and Training (FTE) to gain technical skills and preparation for work.
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