What are the political parties saying about your education and employment?
- This article looks at different political manifestos, particularly what they say about jobs, employment, and higher education.
- Voters or readers should read the manifesto and look at how they will be implemented
With the national elections just around the corner, voters have to make not-so-simple decisions about who to vote for. Threestreamsmedia dived into the manifestos of nine parties to determine what they say about higher education and jobs – two topics that affect students.
The parties assessed in this article are the African National Congress (ANC), the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), ActionSA, and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+).
The parties were chosen based on a survey by the market research firm IPSOS (Institut Public de Sondage d’Opinion Secteur) across three metros in South Africa (Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town) that measured the popularity of political parties. This survey’s findings were released on 27 April 2024 reflecting the views of a sample of 1,030 participants. The new parties BOSA and Rise Mzansi were added to the list. The parties are presented in alphabetical order.
ActionSA says it will invest in programmes that promote the empowerment of “black, coloured, Indian, and Asian South Africans who remain disadvantaged”. ActionSA promises to introduce a Universal Basic Income Stimulus which will provide cash payments for three years to South Africans still seeking employment.
The party says that “no academically qualifying student should be excluded from higher education due to funding constraints”. It promises to provide fully funded bursaries to students who cannot afford tuition. The party plans to expand access to tertiary education by building more public universities so that more students can be admitted into universities. It promises to introduce a voluntary year of service to young people who lack education or career opportunities. This will teach them skills and help to enter the labour market, addressing high youth unemployment rates.
The ANC manifesto says that the creation of 2.5 million jobs will be done by supporting small enterprises and entrepreneurs and engaging the private sector to create more job opportunities.
The ANC wants to improve the higher education and training sector by being responsive to labour market demands and by improving the quality of and access to higher education. Furthermore, it wants to expand skills development for new industries such as data analytics and artificial intelligence. Additionally, the ANC promises to address the student housing shortage and use the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) subsidies to speed up the provision of student residences as well as introduce measures to regulate rental prices for student accommodation.
BOSA
The BOSA manifesto says, “BOSA aims to improve the quality of basic education and to reform the education system so that it supports economic growth and job creation.” For young people to effectively enter the labour market and make a positive contribution to the economy, BOSA’s policy for youth unemployment places a high priority on education, skills development, and training. BOSA wants to boost employment in marginalised neighbourhoods, expand the economy, and prepare the country for the future by upskilling and educating its citizens.
“[BOSA’s] vision is for affordable, accessible and quality education from the earliest stages of schooling to tertiary degrees that will prepare South Africans to earn well,” it states. BOSA envisions affordable, quality education for all, fostering potential and digital economy competitiveness. It also wants to prioritise education in science, technology, education and maths, or STEM-related fields, increase the matric pass standard, hire an additional 160,000 teachers, and improve teacher-to-student ratios. The high graduate unemployment rate shows a need for South Africans to study further, the party says.
DA
The DA plans to create 2 million new jobs in South Africa during the 2024-2029 term. According to the party, 70% of the youth aged 15-24 years are unable to get jobs. The DA’s labour policy measures include the introduction of a Youth Employment Opportunity Certificate, which is intended to increase job opportunities for young people. The certificate will help young people circumvent the minimum wage by offering more flexible employment terms for people aged 18-35, which means they will have a bigger chance of landing jobs.
The DA’s education policy aims to ensure higher education is more accessible and affordable. NSFAS will be used to do so: Reforming NSFAS into a tiered system of bursaries and loans to ensure opportunities for the ‘missing middle’ currently excluded from accessing higher education. The party will provide proportional assistance to those who can afford to pay a portion of their expenses.
According to ITWeb, “The missing middle is the category of students who come from families with a total income of more than R350,000, but not more than R600,000 per annum.”
EFF
According to the EFF manifesto, the broad definition of unemployment has grown to an alarming figure. This is verified by Statistics South Africa (STATS SA) which has indicated that 45.5% unemployment rate among young people (aged 15-34), compared to the national average of 32.9% in the first quarter of 2024. The EFF says it will create “millions of jobs between 2024 to 2029” by building state capacity. The EFF administration promises to implement a “one degree, one job” policy, which means it will hire all unemployed graduates and assign them to positions that match their training. In addition, the EFF will guarantee that everyone with a university degree or diploma, whether or not they are employed, receives a minimum monthly stipend of R5,000. The party does not indicate how this will work or how it will be financed.
“The EFF government will introduce free, decolonised education for all, advancing issues of indigenous knowledge, sovereignty, and economic freedom in education.” The EFF also promises to cancel all student loans, all students who were disqualified due to unpaid fees will be reintegrated, and all graduates who passed, but were not awarded degrees will get certificates, diplomas, and degrees from the EFF government. And most importantly, the EFF will provide free higher education until a first degree for all and will provide scholarships.
IFP
The IFP manifesto has several policies to address youth unemployment, including introducing an Unemployed Graduate Grant of R3,000 for a fixed period to assist graduates in finding meaningful employment and redirecting some of the money spent on Sector Education and Training Authorities, or SETAs, to ensure that all graduates are given a 12-month internship at municipalities, provincial and national departments. The IFP will save positions for South Africans, particularly the younger generation, in the low-skilled and entry-level industries.
The IFP states that it believes in “state-sponsored higher education for poor and low-income families to address the inequalities of the past”. NSFAS will be reformed by moving its administration and management back to tertiary institutions, which would ensure greater efficiency, transparency and responsiveness, the party manifesto indicates.
RISE Mzansi
RISE Mzansi says will adopt a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral approach to improve basic education outcomes, and to provide skills training opportunities to those without skills, whether they have matric or not. The party says it will set up skills training for one million people without matric within five years.
The party says it will improve the quality of teaching in all subjects – and especially science, technology, engineering and mathematics – because the modern economy is knowledge-intensive. It also wants bilingual education with at least one African language. A knowledge-intensive economy requires matric graduates with strong problem-solving, critical thinking, literacy and numeracy skills, who can go on to higher education, training or apprenticeship. Therefore, basic education reform will be a critical enabler of inclusive growth.
MK promises to “ensure that the education system is fee-free and compulsory from kindergarten to post-graduate education”. The MK says it will grow the higher education system by building more universities and adding more programmes. MK promises to promote the use of African languages as the medium of instruction to generate more knowledge. Lastly, MK pledges to collaborate with the departments of education, labour, industry, and home affairs to review the master’s skills list and generate more job opportunities.
The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus/VF+) says it plans to create more job opportunities by equipping the youth with the necessary skills to be employable. It says that “80% of learners who have completed their school training are not properly trained or prepared for the workplace”. The party believes that there should be training institutions that will equip the youth to enter the workforce and encourage entrepreneurship.
The VF+’s education policy says the party will enforce a new educational culture built on “hard work, higher standards and honesty”. A VF+ government promises to offer a mother-tongue education up to the highest level possible. It also promises that students will be awarded bursaries based on merit and financial need.
Because half of unemployed South Africans do not have matric, it says it will invest in regional training facilities for people who did not complete school. These will focus on knowledge and skills related to key primary sectors such as agriculture and tourism, as well as trades such as bricklaying, plumbing, etc. It will also provide a three-month conditional job-seekers grant connected to the completion of such skills development programmes.
In the table below, each political party’s stance on education, and unemployment policy as declared in their manifestos is summarised. (Graphic: Keitumetse Netshivhodza)
Boitumelo Mokhantso and Keitu Netshivhodza