I thank the Deputy Minister for the response. While we recognise that there are several plans in place to encourage and assist students to take up social work as a career, and while we know that there are funding and bursaries and that communication is being done with the universities and schools, the problem is that izingane zethu [our children] are not taking social work seriously as a respectable career. They feel that doing travel, tourism and marketing is much better than social work.
What strategy can be implemented to market the field to the youth so that it is seen as a viable, important and respected career choice by the youth? As we speak, there are many matriculants at home who could be taking up the opportunity, seeing that government is funding the training, but they say that it's a career yabantu abadala [for the elders] and not for them.
IPHINI LIKANGQONGQOSHE WEZOKUTHUTHUKISWA KOMPHAKATHI: Ngiyabonga lungu elihloniphekile, futhi ngibonga nalo mbuzo owulethayo kule Ndlu yesiShayamthetho. Yiqiniso elingephikiswe ukuthi abantwana bethu abawufuni lo mkhakha wezenhlalakahle. Abanye abantwana njengoba sibanxenxa ukuthi baye emanyuvesi ukuyofunda kulo mkhakha, bayavuma uma besasemakhaya, bathathwe bangene emanyuvesi bafunde unyaka owodwa, uma sebephakathi nonyaka bashintshele kokunye ngoba vele bebengawuthandi lo mkhakha wezenhlalakahle.
Ayikho enyo into esingayenza ngaphandle kokuthi senze lo msebenzi wezobusonhlalakahle ube muhle njengeminye imisebenzi. Njengokuthi sibheke ukuthi imiholo yabo injani kanye nezindawo abasebenza kuzo, ikakhulukazi ezindaweni zasemakhaya. Uzokhumbula ukuthi akuzona zodwa nje izifundo zosonhlalakahle abangafuni ukusithatha kodwa nezinye izifundo njengezifundo zolimi nje, abantwana sebeyazibalekela.
Kukithina ukuthi sibakhuthaze emakhaya, ezindaweni lapho sihlangana khona emphakathini, sibakhombise nobuhle balo msebenzi ukuthi umsebenzi wezenhlalakahle umsebenzi owakha isizwe, okhulisa ubuntu bethu kusukela ebuncaneni ukuya ebudaleni bethu. Ngiyabonga Sihlalo. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[The DEPUTY MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOMENT: Thank you, hon member. I also thank you for the question that you are bringing here to the National Assembly. It is true that our children do not like the social work field. Some children agree to study this field when they are requested to do so whilst they are still at home, but once they are admitted to the universities, they only study it for one year, and then change to something else as they do not like social work in the first place.
There is nothing else that we can do but to make this social work as attractive as other jobs. We should look at how their salaries are structured, as well as at the conditions at the places where they work - especially in the rural areas. You will remember that it is not only social work that they do not want to do, but that there are other fields like language studies that they do not like - children are shying away from them.
It is up to us to encourage them from home, in social gatherings, and also to show them the good side of social work - that it is a job that builds a nation, our ubuntu from the young age to our old age. Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]]