Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Jeff Radebe, says it is important for young people to start participating in creating a society that is united, with a common vision of realising a prosperous South Africa.
The Minister addressed the official launch of the annual National Development Plan (NDP) school debate and essay competition that was held in Pretoria on Tuesday.
The competition was held as part of the fifth anniversary celebration of the adoption of the NDP under the theme: “Define your Ideal South Africa of 2030 and play your part”.
He said it was pleasing to see many young people participate in the competition that is very central to the development of the country.
“As young people, the future belongs to you,” said Minister Radebe, who is also the Chairperson of the National Planning Commission.
He said the society of today’s young people cannot be the same as the society of young people during the system of apartheid.
He encouraged young people to continuously develop and rise above the current challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment.
“As future leaders of the South African society, you have a very important role to play in building your own country in which everyone has a potential to prosper in their own endeavours,” he said.
He said the occasion showed that the NDP is futuristic, as youngsters were able to recite the chapters of the NDP, which puts youth at the epicentre of South Africa’s development agenda.
However, the Minister said youth remained the most affected by the triple challenges of unemployment, inequality and poverty.
He called on all sectors of South African society, including business and faith organisations, to channel youth in the right path towards the pursuance of education.
“We recognise as government that education is very central in ensuring that we create a prosperous future for our country.”
The Minister hosted the competition in partnership with the Department of Basic Education (DBE).
The competition sought to create awareness and educate youth about the NDP 2030 as an overarching plan for the country, highlight the importance of education as one of the country's priorities and encourage society to play their part in making vision 2030 a success.
Winner
There were about eighteen finalists representing schools across the country, and Sanele Khoza from Malabela High School in KwaZulu-Natal won the first place by scoring about 80% when the judges announced the results of the debate.
Khoza, who is in Grade 11 this year, said winning the competition was a big deal for him as it was his first time entering for a national competition.
“This is a new experience in my life…,” an excited Khoza told SAnews in an interview after receiving his prize.
All it took him was proper research on the topic, and learning as much as he can about what the NDP is about. He asked his teacher to assist him with extra material because he wanted to be prepared for the competition.
Khoza said he did not know much about the NDP until he researched for the competition, and at the beginning of his research it was just about gathering facts, but he eventually realised that the NDP can change a lot of lives when fully implemented. - SAnews.gov.za
