While announcing an extension to the deadline of applications for the second phase of education assistant posts, the Department of Basic Education has introduced an alternative avenue for applicants to submit their applications.
In a statement, the department said SA Youth has added another web-based/electronic application form that is not linked to, nor dependent on the SA Youth mobi-site in terms of connectivity or stability. To access the form applicants should visit https://sayouth.me/DBE.
“The link will take applicants to the homepage where they will be required to select the province in which they are in. Fill in the required fields with your personal particulars and ensure that all information is correct, particularly your contact number.
“Search the name of the school closest to you or click the drop down menu to select the school. Only schools in the province in which you are located, will appear on the list. Double check that all information is correct and click submit,” said the department.
The department has notified the public that the web-based/ electronic application form is an alternative application method, however, it is not zero rated and will require a small amount of data to complete.
Government, through its Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI), has called on unemployed youth to apply for the second phase of education assistants posts, which opened on 27 September 2021.
“Phase II applications were due to close at midnight on 3 October 2021, however, the department has since extended the application period to midnight, 10 October 2021.”
The department said that the applications for Phase II of the BEEI have continued to increase since the applications opened.
As of 2 October, the total number of applications received were 2 726 117 from 475 918 young people.
“The department would like to take this time to assure the eligible youth that the application process does not work on a first come, first served basis; however, all applications must be submitted online by 10th October, in order to be considered for the available opportunities.”
The department added that as with Phase I, applications for BEEI are submitted online via the zero-rated mobisite, sayouth.mobi, to ensure that applicants spend as little to no money on their applications and to ensure efficiency in the data collection and management, which has been centralised to enable fairness in the recruitment and application process.
“Since the opening of the application process on 27 September, the site experienced extremely high traffic volumes, causing it to slow down and occasionally time out. The SA Youth toll-free number was also affected due to receiving up to +50 000 calls per hour.”
The department has encouraged those between the ages of 18 and 35, who are currently neither in education/ training, nor receiving any form of government grant, as well as young people with disability and women, to apply.
As part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PES), the Department of Basic Education seeks to provide 287 000 unemployed young people with employment and training opportunities in the education sector.
The mobi-site (sayouth.mobi) is still available for submission of applications. Application forms must be submitted online, as no walk-ins to schools will be allowed due to COVID19 restrictions and the preparation of the final exams for the year, at both primary and high schools.
Applicants who need help to apply online can also be supported by their nearest, NYDA office, or community library that has connectivity.
The department has cautioned young people not to fall victim to fake news. For updates on the BEEI Phase II, applicants can follow these platforms: SA Youth – sayouth.mobi – for applications, Twitter: @DBE_BEEI https://twitter.com/DBE_BEEI and Facebook: Basic Education Employment Initiative https://www.facebook.com/phase2beei. – SAnews.gov.za
