Johannesburg - Energy Minister Dipuo Peters has commended energy company BP’s R105 million investment over the next six years to develop South African youth.
The youth development programme is in support of government’s socio-economic empowerment goals. It will see over 900 gifted grade 10 to 12 pupils from Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga rural schools participate in a specially designed programme to bridge the gap between high school and university. It will also create a pipeline of talented professionals for the country.
“We applaud this venture between the University of the Witwatersrand and BP,” said Peters at the announcement of the investment on Friday.
The Targeting Talent Programme (TTP) provides holistic talent development and aims to counter possible negative influences on learners. It aims to increase academic, social and psychological preparation of gifted students.
The investment will allow the pupils to participate in the TTP from this year to 2018.
The programme comprises residential interventions during school holidays over a two to three year period, during which time the pupils complete an academic curriculum. Subjects such as Maths, Information Technology and Molecular Literacy are among the subjects taken.
The programme assists learners to aspire, prepare for as well as gain university enrolment.
Peters said that gaining access to university was still a challenge to many South Africans.
Getting learners ready for the future
The programme, which has been in existence for six years, is an instrument that will produce people that have an entrepreneurial flair to create jobs. It will also help produce people that are already prepared for the work environment, she noted.
“This programme is adding value to lives,” she told the audience which also included high school pupils selected by Wits to be part of the programme.
Success, said the minister, required determination. She further added that South Africa was going through a transition phase, where skills were needed in the country’s massive infrastructure build. She encouraged pupils to study towards degrees that would assist in the country’s infrastructure build programme.
Former Wits vice chancellor and TTP founder, Professor Loyiso Nongxa, said the programme - which is close to his heart - was a tool that could be used to address societal challenges such as inequality.
BP chairperson Thandi Orleyn said the investment has been done to address the developmental needs of the country.
Mmadikgetho Komane, who was named the top national matriculant of 2012, is a graduate of the programme and on Friday, she expressed her delight at being part of the programme.
“The cause is close to my heart. The programme was a life changing experience. TTP taught me the value of hard work,” she said, adding that while dreaming big was important, one must be willing to work hard.
Komane, who is 19, is now in university. - SAnews.gov.za
