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More than 2,7m applications for 287,000 teacher and general assistant jobs, says basic education

Gauteng school principal Nyiko Baloyi has been fired for sexually assaulting his personal assistant.
Gauteng school principal Nyiko Baloyi has been fired for sexually assaulting his personal assistant.
Image: 123RF/SAMORN TARAPAN

The department of basic education has received more than 2,7 million applications from more than 475,000 young people who have applied for 287,000 teaching and general assistant positions.

The department is hiring for phase 2 which will start on November 1 and run to March 2022.

“The department would like to assure the eligible youth that the application process does not work on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, all applications must be submitted online by October 10 to be considered for the available opportunities.” . 

Applications for the second phase were opened on September 27 and applicants were initially given until October 3 to apply. 

“Since the opening of the application process, the site experienced extremely high volumes, causing it to slow down and occasionally time out. The SA youth toll-free number was also affected, receiving more than 50,000 calls per hour.”

The general and teaching assistant job opportunities are part of the presidential employment stimulus programme.

The department announced 287,000 vacancies for unemployed youth. About 192,000 will receive training as teaching assistants and about 95,000 will be employed as general assistants for the duration of phase 2. 

“Youth between the ages of 18 and 35 who are currently neither in education and training nor receiving any form of government grant as well as young people with disabilities and women are eligible and encouraged to apply,” the basic education department said. 

The economic meltdown, in part because of the Covid-19 pandemic, also led to more than five million new people applying for the R350 social relief of distress grant. These were people who had not applied during the first round of the grant introduced last year.

Nearly 14-million applications have been received for the grant since it was reintroduced in July.

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