By STAFF REPORTER
Many Teaching and General Assistants, who participated in Phase III of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) across the province alleged that, they have not received their pending stipends from the North West Department of Education.
It is alleged that, some schools could not capture all appointed Teaching and General Assistants on the data management system, and this caused the department to transfer more or less money to schools.
The North West Department of Education spokesperson, Elias Malindi said they have been inundated by calls from aggrieved beneficiaries. He further apologised to those affected and said the department is giving the matter serious attention.
“As the department, we will be conducting investigations on the matter and get to the bottom of this. On 13 September 2022, the department transferred the money to schools for their payments. So, at the moment, the department has embarked on a verification and mop-up process to check on all those who have been overpaid or underpaid.
“We wish to assure all those who participated in Phase III of the program that, all their outstanding stipends will be processed after the verification and mop-up process. The contracts of the General Assistants and Education Assistants ended on the 31 August 2022,” he said.
Malindi said Phase IV is expected to resume at the beginning of 2023. The youth between the ages of 18 – 34 are encouraged to apply from 26 September 2022 until 16 October 2022. More than 850 000 job opportunities have been created through the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI).
Meanwhile, the Minister for Department Basic Education (DBE), Angie Motshekga said: “The initiative was designed to assist young people’s livelihoods and acts as a means of addressing South Africa’s high rates of youth unemployment. The youth had numerous opportunities to gain more skills through training opportunities offered by partners such as the University of Johannesburg (UJ), NEMISA, Digify Africa, and 2Enable.
“Schools across the country have enjoyed hosting a group of enthusiastic and dedicated young South Africans, whose contribution to teaching and learning have been immense.”
Motshekga added that, the end of Phase III of the PYEI-BEEI does not mark the end of the road for the youth. She said the initiative has created a platform for many to chart a path towards better prospects in the labour market.
“The skills and experiences gained will impact positively on future career prospects of the youth. The department wants to encourage all youth to take advantage of the many opportunities that are available on the SAYouth.mobi platform.
“Through this platform, youth can access earning, learning, and entrepreneurial opportunities that are provided by private partners. The youth can also access other beneficial information such as CV writing and interview tips on the eCubed WhatsApp called Teacher Connect, through this number; 060 060 3333,” said Motshekga.
She said the youth can also access scholarship and bursary opportunities that are made available through the eCubed WhatsApp Bot. According to Motshekga, the youth and their employers have made contributions to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) throughout their tenure as School Assistants in the PYEE-BEEI.
“The UIF is an essential safety net to which employees and employers contribute, and from which employees who become unemployed are entitled to benefits, and in so doing, alleviate the harmful economic and social effects of unemployment,” said Motshekga.
The Guardian 