Minister Nzimande, MEC Lesufi praise City’s Matric rewrite programme

28 July 2016

 

Higher Education and Training Minister Dr Blade Nzimande and Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi have endorsed the City of Johannesburg’s Vulindlel’ eJozi’s Matric Rewrite Programme.

 

The endorsement was announced by Executive Mayor Cllr Parks Tau during a site tour of the Vulindlel’ eJozi’s Orange Farm Massive Open Online Varsity (MOOV) facility on Wednesday July 27.

The mayor said the rewrite initiative would be implemented in partnership with the Gauteng Education Department, the University of Johannesburg and Harambee Youth Empowerment Accelerator.

“The Vulindlel’ eJozi programme is fast breaking down barriers for youth to access economic opportunities through entry-level job training and placement, smart online education and entrepreneurial skills training,” he said.

These programmes would help the City address the high rate of youth unemployment which, according to Statistician-General Pali Lehohla’s most-recent report, stands at 57% nationally and between 60% and 70% in Johannesburg. The Matric Rewrite Programme is being offered through the City’s libraries, which double up as MOOV centres. The first intake began this month.

In welcoming the initiative, MEC Lesufi said: “We are committed to facilitating the rewrite registrations and streamlining a process that will enable those who have been out of school for longer than two years to complete their matric.”

Minister Nzimande said the rewrite programme could be used as a national blueprint.

“The Department of Higher Education is reviewing the MOOV concept as a leading pilot that could create new paths to free vocational and university education for excluded young people across South Africa,” he said.

Nzimande and Lesufi’s ringing endorsement came a day after Mayor Tau announced the ground-breaking R200-million partnership with Microsoft SA to train one million people in basic computer skills. Under the programme, which starts in September, 800 000 youths and 200 000 adults, will be trained over five years.