Pretoria - Minister of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande will on Sunday launch the Nelson Mandela Career Guidance Campaign which aims to provide information on post school options to high school learners in rural areas.
The launch forms part of activities planned for Mandela Day where a host of personalities and prominent South Africans have pledged to serve their 67 minutes of community service for Mandela Day providing career advice to high school learners.
The Department of Higher Education and Training aims to mobilise people in the higher education and training sector as well as other professionals to assist high school learners with information on universities and colleges, course programmes, financial aid, bursary schemes and training opportunities.
According to the department, information and guidance about the range of post-school school opportunities would help learners to better prepare for life after school and lead to less dropouts and improved employment prospects.
"The annual campaign will commence on Mandela Day at Giyani in Limpopo where about 1000 high school learners will receive information and advice on a spectrum of opportunities for higher learning and skills development to help them make their career choice," the department said.
The event will be attended by the Minister of Public Service and Administration Richard Baloyi, Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale and Education MEC Dickson Masemola, who, along with Minister Nzimande and Higher Education and Training Director-General Professor Mary Metcalfe, will provide career advice to the learners for 67minutes.
Public personalities who will also be on hand to provide career advice include Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Mdu Masilela, Muvhango actor Gabriel Temudzani, and blind television personality Rhulani Baloyi.
They will line up to offer advice alongside prominent professionals in their fields such as President of the Black Actuaries Society Lusani Mulaudzi, President of the Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants Tsakani Matsazi and chairperson of the South African Medical Association Dr Kgosi Letlape.
Mandela Day is an annual celebration of Nelson Mandela's life and a global call to action for people to recognise their individual ability to make an imprint and change the world around them. It derives from the 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity.
Mandela Day has been created to inspire people from every corner of the world to embrace the values that have embodied Nelson Mandela's life - democracy, equality, reconciliation, diversity, responsibility, respect and freedom - for these are the values of Nelson Mandela and they are his legacy to the world.
