South Africa's youth continue to face significant challenges, including high unemployment, financial barriers to higher education and a rapidly changing job market.
As South Africa marks Youth Day, concerns remain about the challenges facing young people despite significant gains in access to education since the 1976 Soweto uprising.
The annual commemoration honours the students who protested against the apartheid government's education policies, with many losing their lives in the struggle for equal educational opportunities. Five decades later, youth unemployment, inequality and the impact of technological change continue to affect large numbers of young South Africans.
"Fifty years after fighting for education, millions of young South Africans are still fighting for a future. Youth unemployment remains one of the country's most critical crises, locking millions out of economic participation, including those with degrees and qualifications," said Prof Linda Meyer, managing director of Rosebank College.
While reforms in the past few decades have expanded access to education and integrated the labour market, unemployment among younger South Africans has continued to rise.
