YCL NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO MEET

15 January 2004

Starting tomorrow (16 January) and ending on Saturday (17 January), the National Committee of the Young Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA) will hold its inaugural meeting in Johannesburg since its re-establishment congress.

The YCL is about taking action today because tomorrow will be too late:

• Youth comprise about 37% of the total population - 16 million people
• In 2001, 70% of the people in the poorest quintile are below the age of 35
• Youth comprise about 70% of the unemployed
• Young people are at risk from many health problems: physical and psychological trauma resulting from sexual abuse, gender-based violence, physical violence and accidents, sexual and reproductive health disorders, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDunwanted pregnancies and pregnancy related complications and tuberculosis, and so on.
• Many matriculants do not have access to further education, skills development and employment opportunities.

These are just some of the many problems facing our country's youth that the YCL National Committee meeting will be discussing in order to develop YCL programmes and campaigns to address these youth problems and concerns.

The YCL has closely followed developments in the education arena following the release of matric results in December 2003 and now with the heightened focus on the opening of schools. The YCL National Committee meeting will receive and discuss proposals on:

• Education Rights Campaign - the removal of economic barriers to education (such as school fees, uniforms, transport, etc.) including a proposal for the gradual removal of school fees, the extension of the school nutrition programme to high schools ande need for a Public Campaign for Free Education and Access to Basic Services (electricity, water and sanitation) for poor schools
• A YCL 10-year review and audit of matric results and related factors: quality and relevance of a matric qualification, possibilities for further education and employability of matriculants, and declining numbers of matric candidates and unemployment
• A 10-year review of Education Transformation
• YCL approach to the Global Campaign for Education

In addition, the YCL National Committee will also discuss the following:

• YCL Programme on the Elections
• YCL Programme of Action to build branches, districts and provinces
• How to educate young people about how capitalism and the legacy of apartheid deny them recreation, free education, skills development, real life opportunities and choices
• How to mobilise minority youth (Coloured, Indian, white, immigrant and other youth) behind a progressive agenda and the essence of being a progressive South African post-apartheid

PRESS CONFERENCE

The meeting will be followed by a Press Conference to be held:
DATE - Sunday, 18 January 2004
TIME - 14h00 to 14h30
VENUE - SACP Head Office, 3rd Floor, COSATU House, 1 Leyds Street, corner
Biccard, Braamfontein

CONTACT
Buti Manamela
YCL National Secretary
082 222 5474