South Africa's youth continue to face significant challenges, including high unemployment, financial barriers to higher education and a rapidly changing job market.
Image: Henk Kruger / Independent Newspapers
As South Africa marks Youth Day, concerns remain about the challenges facing young people despite significant gains in access to education since the 1976 Soweto uprising.
The annual commemoration honours the students who protested against the apartheid government's education policies, with many losing their lives in the struggle for equal educational opportunities. Five decades later, youth unemployment, inequality and the impact of technological change continue to affect large numbers of young South Africans.
"Fifty years after fighting for education, millions of young South Africans are still fighting for a future. Youth unemployment remains one of the country's most critical crises, locking millions out of economic participation, including those with degrees and qualifications," said Prof Linda Meyer, managing director of Rosebank International.
While reforms in the past few decades have expanded access to education and integrated the labour market, unemployment among younger South Africans has continued to rise.
Statistics South Africa's Labour Force Survey for the first quarter of 2026 showed the official unemployment rate at 32.7%. Among people aged 15 to 24, unemployment stood at 60.9%, while the rate for those aged 25 to 34 was 40.6%.
Education experts say that while access to schooling has improved significantly, challenges remain in ensuring learners progress through the education system and transition successfully into employment.
Nearly all South African children between the ages of seven and 15 are enrolled in school. However, attendance and completion rates decline significantly at higher levels of education due to a range of factors including poverty, financial constraints, poor educational outcomes, grade repetition and family responsibilities.
Although many students gain admission to higher education institutions, graduation rates remain a concern. South Africa's public universities continue to experience high dropout rates and extended completion times. Data from the Department of Higher Education and Training indicates that only a small proportion of the population aged 25 to 64 holds a university degree.
Researchers have identified several factors contributing to student attrition, including under-resourced schools, weak literacy and numeracy foundations, inadequate infrastructure, financial hardship and the need for young people to contribute to household incomes.
The emergence of artificial intelligence and other digital technologies is also reshaping the labour market, with some analysts warning that automation could reduce the number of entry-level opportunities traditionally used by young people to gain workplace experience.
At the same time, employers increasingly seek skills such as digital literacy, problem-solving abilities, adaptability and technological competence. This has contributed to concerns about a growing mismatch between the skills possessed by job seekers and those required in the workplace.
Access to tertiary education remains another challenge, particularly for students from households that do not qualify for government financial aid but cannot easily afford tuition fees.
The so-called "missing middle" refers to students whose household incomes exceed the threshold for full funding through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) but remain insufficient to cover the costs of higher education.
For students who do qualify for assistance, funding and administrative challenges have also come under scrutiny.
"NSFAS was designed to open doors for students who could not afford tertiary education, but the scheme is currently under administration, facing serious governance failures and systemic maladministration that have directly impacted students. Thousands have faced delayed allowances, sudden mid-year defunding and accommodation failures, with immediate consequences of lost study time, academic setbacks, debt, or leaving the system altogether," said Meyer.
Student welfare has also emerged as a growing concern. Earlier this year, the South African Human Rights Commission highlighted food insecurity among university students during its National Investigative Hearings into food systems.
Research presented during the hearings indicated that many students experience moderate to severe food insecurity, affecting academic performance and increasing the likelihood of students dropping out.
While learners in many primary and secondary schools benefit from the National School Nutrition Programme, there is currently no equivalent state-funded daily meals programme for students in higher education institutions.
As South Africa commemorates Youth Day, stakeholders continue to debate how best to address the interconnected challenges of education, unemployment and economic inclusion facing young people.
Fifty years after the Soweto uprising, the issues confronting many young South Africans have changed, but questions around access to opportunity, economic participation and social mobility remain central to the national conversation.
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