By Nangamso Mabindla
23 October 2006

YOUNGSTERS were given a chance to interact with and talk to government leaders, during the Youth and Democratic Education campaign, about the challenges they faced.

The campaign is an initiative of the departments of Education and Home Affairs. To ensure that the youth was heard, the deputy ministers of education and home affairs, Enver Surty and Malusi Gigaba respectively; provincial education MEC Mkhangeli Matomela; Buffalo City Executive Mayor Zintle Peter; and leaders from the province's further education and training (FET) institutions took part.

It aims to ensure that youngsters participate in the country's democratic process, and to deepen democracy education with a view to promoting good citizenship among the young. For the campaign to reach its intended targets, it was introduced through the province's FET institutions.

During the visit to Buffalo City, the deputy ministers and the mayor visited FETs to interact with students and other members of the public. Speaking to students at the Buffalo City FET College's John Bokhwe Campus in Mdantsane, Surty said his department was committed to ensuring that each and every FET college in the country had an information and communications technology centre.

"We want to make sure that each and every student in each college has access to high quality computer training. This will enable them to be marketable in the workplace."

He said that as part of the ongoing nationwide recapitalisation of colleges, the Buffalo City FET College had received R43-million to improve its resources and educational programmes, and so produce quality professionals.

"We have paid particular attention to technical courses like engineering for the ever-demanding technical field. This is in line with the Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa. AsgiSA has set aside R360-billion for infrastructure development; that is why we have made sure that programmes offered in these FETs are in line with the demands of the country," he added.

The Department of Home Affairs had internship and learnership programmes for young people. "Our department has a very high intake of students for internship; we take about 300 students a year," Gigaba said. "I would like to use this opportunity to urge the youth to be aware of the developments in the country and in government."

Information was available in the media and in government departments, he added.

The department had on-site mobile offices where people could apply for their identity documents, while the Msobomvu Youth Fund also had an office where young people interested in going into business could get information.