The Department of Basic Education bade farewell to the assistants placed in schools under the third phase of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative.
The third phase was aimed at mitigating the unemployment crisis South Africans are facing.
These young people were employed in schools to assist teachers and schools with their daily operations.
The Basic Education Department (DBE) said schools across the country enjoyed having a group of enthusiastic and dedicated young South Africans contributing to teaching and learning.
It confirmed that the majority of the stipends were paid out, adding the provincial education departments (PEDs) were working on ensuring the rest of the payments are made soon.
“Where the unpaid stipends are identified, the delays are due to the finalisation of validation and verification processes to ensure there is no under or over allocation of funds to schools. Through that process, the PEDs are working with districts to verify the funds previously sent to schools against the reported number of stipends,” the department said.
“Schools are required to provide certain documents to provide assurance to the PEDs that all funds transferred to schools for the payment of stipends are in line with the number of young people appointed,” it said.
The DBE assured the young people that the end of phase three of the initiative did not mean the end of the road for them. The initiative had created a platform for many to chart a path towards better prospects in the labour market.
“The skills and experiences gained will impact positively on future career prospects of the youth," DBE stated.
The department urged all the young to take advantage of the many opportunities that are available on the SAYouth.mobi platform and further stated that through this platform, they can access earning, learning and entrepreneurial opportunities that are provided by private partners.
For further employment, the DBE encouraged the youth to access other beneficial information such as CV-writing and interview tips on the eCubed WhatsApp called Teacher Connect through this number: 060 060 3333.
The youth and their employers have made contributions to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) throughout their tenure as School Assistants in the PYEE-BEEI.
Applications for unemployment benefits must be made on the prescribed form at an employment office. The application must be made within six months of the termination of the contract of employment. The UIF payment can only be claimed if a person was previously employed but is currently unemployed.
kamogelo.moichela@inl.co.za
EDUCATION