SA needs skills-focused education to beat unemployment, says World Bank

SA needs a stronger education system to address the skills constraints hampering employment, the World Bank says. This comes ahead of the unemployment statistics, which are expected to be released on Tuesday. The legacy of Bantu education has created a skills shortage that has contributed to low growth, productivity and competitiveness, as well as persistently high unemployment, says a World Bank systematic country diagnostic report for SA released on Monday. The bank emphasises that the National Development Plan (NDP) could only be achieved by improving the quality of education. The NDP’s goals are to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030. This calls for sustained growth of 5.4% and a 6% decrease in unemployment by 2030. According to the report, the legacy of exclusion has aggravated policy uncertainty and reduced growth. It has also kept prices high, especially for the poor, and does not create jobs quickly enough to reduce the high levels of unemployment. Unemployment r...

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