Dear President Cyril Ramaphosa,

KaNyamazane is situated in the outskirts of Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, and is overflowing with innovative youth in a country that will soon be engulfed by the fourth industrial revolution. This letter outlines the desirable attributes that are embedded in the community and problematizes youth unemployment, then provides a solution that will exponentially reduce youth unemployment across KaNyamazane, and potentially in the whole of South Africa.

Kanyamazane houses more than 10 primary and secondary schools, thus proving the prioritization of education in the township, which is true and admirable about the whole of South Africa. Our township is also home to a local library that further paints the portrait of the township’s interests. Commendably, these resources have proven to be useful to members of the community and the interests in education have continued to rise. Annually, members of the community run numerous drives that donate school shoes and uniforms to ensure that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are also able to exercise their right to a basic education.

The entire Mpumalanga province also celebrates its love for education through educational programs that are aired on the provincial radio station, Ligwalagwala FM. Annually, members of the province eagerly, and in unison, await the crowning of the provincial beauty, Miss Mpumalanga. A collaboration between Mzimari Productions, the Mpumalanga Economic Regulator and Crowning Miss Mpumalanga makes this pageant possible. One of the main responsibilities of the crowned beauty is to visit schools in the numerous townships and host workshops that educate members of the youth.

The township also has budding organizations such as LeeConnect which is an organization with commendable accolades, having won the Motsepe Foundation 2022 Golden Circle Award and Stellenbosch University EDHE Internal Competition. LeeConnect offers mentorship, assists with university applications, assists with job applications and preparation for interviews. The township’s interest in promoting education and employment is undeniable. However, there is still an exponential increase in youth unemployment which is a nationwide crisis caused by a mismatch in the qualifications obtained by the youth and the skills required by the job market, among other factors.

The Department of Education has designed the school curriculum to serve the best interests of the youth. However, the best way to address youth unemployment would be through slight alterations to how the curriculum is currently planned. Life Orientation (FET phase) studies need to be integrated into the intermediate grades 7 to 9 to allow for the introduction of Computer Science studies from grades 10 to 12 in its place. Introductory lessons to computer studies would greatly benefit matriculants in the fast-growing digital world we live in. In other words, matriculants would leave the school system with a matric certificate and coding certificate. An understanding and certification in computer science will equip the youth with the necessary skills to seek employment, even if they are unable to further their studies in Higher Education and Training institutions.

A computer science certificate would open a window of opportunities to the youth, such as technical writing, app development, user experience (UX) designing, content marketing, digital entrepreneurship, software engineering, IT technology, data mining and many more digital opportunities. These are highly sought out skills not only in South Africa, but internationally. Hence, the youth would have more opportunities right after matriculation and youth unemployment would begin to decline. This strategy also aligns with, and promotes, Sustainable Development Goal 9.

Another challenge faced by schools in KaNyamazane is the lack of infrastructure such as computer labs, thus hindering the successful implementation of the computer science subject. Therefore, the first step would be a financial injection into the installation of functional, and secure, computer labs. Following this, would be strategic designing of the computer science subject over a three-year plan (like other FET phase subjects) and the employment of computer science educators, thus creating another employment opportunity. Lastly, would be the accreditation of the computer science certificate received by the matriculants, by the relevant regulatory bodies.

In conclusion, the integration of introductory computer science lessons into the school syllabus would foster economic growth and strengthen the employability of the youth. The future is encoded in the digital world, and we should take advantage of this.