Basic Education pilot initiative to create over 20,000 work opportunities for unemployed youth [SOUND]

# The Department of Basic Education has announced a new pilot phase of the Basic Education Employment Initiative, which is expected to create more than 20-thousand work opportunities for young South Africans. The hired youth will work as Education Assistants alongside classroom teachers. The initiative also aims to strengthen literacy and numeracy skills among learners in the early grades. Department spokesperson, Terrence Khala, says the pilot programme will run from January to March 2027 in selected public primary schools across all nine provinces: