When looking at interventions in the basic education space over the last decade, nothing comes close to the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) in terms of financial commitment, geographic reach, and the speed of deployment. It is the largest youth employment programme in South Africa and, as far as researchers can determine, the largest education-focused public employment programme in the world.
The DBE, in partnership with the Binding Constraints Lab (BCL), hosted the official launch of the Scaling Youth Employment Through Schools: The Story of the Basic Education Employment Initiative on 24 June 2026. The day-long event at the Kleinkaap Boutique Hotel in Centurion brought together government officials, researchers, NGO partners, labour representatives, and education specialists to reflect on the five phases of implementation and to set the agenda for the next phase.
The DDG for Business Intelligence, Mr Paddy Padayachee, who has championed the BEEI since its conceptualisation in 2020, opened proceedings by grounding the work in a sobering reality: youth unemployment sits at over 44% for young people aged 15 to 24, with three in five young people aged 18 to 24 without work. He spoke to the programme’s evolution from emergency crisis response during the COVID-19 pandemic to an initiative that supports teaching and learning: “Over five years, this programme has shifted from being a crisis relief measure to a deliberate investment in learning outcomes. The strategy for future phases represents our commitment to making that shift permanent”.
The Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Dr Reginah Mhaule, opened the event by placing the BEEI firmly within the priorities of the 7th Administration: “The question before us today is therefore not whether the programme works. The question is how it is sustained, strengthened and institutionalised. Youth employment and educational improvement are not competing priorities, they are mutually reinforcing national objectives”.
Ms Lala Maje, DBE’s Director and Project Manager, presented the strategic shifts for future phases: a sharper focus on Foundation Phase literacy and numeracy (with two dedicated assistants per Grades R–3); intentional recruitment to grow the teaching workforce through stronger alignment with Initial Teacher Education; assessment-driven impact measurement using EGRA and EGMA baselines and endlines for the first time in the programme's history; and decentralised data and accountability systems deployed at provincial level. “This programme has shown us it can be a pipeline into the teaching profession. The question now is whether the institutions in this room are going to develop the accredited pathways that make that a reality.” Ms Maje also challenged institutions present, universities, the South African Council for Educators (SACE), the Department of Higher Education and Training, and provincial departments, to move beyond good intentions and develop accredited micro-credentials that give BEEI participants a recognised pathway into Initial Teacher Education and other professions.
The launch featured expert panels covering employment and public value and improving foundational learning outcomes in literacy and numeracy. Across all panels, a common thread emerged: the BEEI is a platform with the potential to reshape learning outcomes for generations. Practical recommendations for transforming the BEEI were consistent: tightly aligned training and materials, on-site mentoring, role clarity for education assistants, and sustained multi-year planning.
The day closed with a shared sense of momentum. As Dr Gabrielle Wills of Research on Socio-Economic Policy (RESEP) observed, of the 1.3 million young people employed through the BEEI, 900,000 have been women. Equipping these women with quality training and ongoing support means that the BEEI’s impact extends far beyond the classroom. The children they are raising represent roughly two full cohorts of Grade 1 learners, and that a generational dividend could begin to show within just five years.
The report is available for download; a companion learning brief focused on lessons for scale is also available on the DBE website:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1d0FxtR0KtoGrssiBkc1P4qoWljh0FF2k?usp=drive_link