Video | Youth Day 2020: 44 years since Soweto uprising

It has been 44 years since the Soweto uprising that changed the history of in South Africa and its educational system.

The theme for Youth Day 2020, as stated by the South African  government, is “ Youth Power: Growing South Africa in a period of COVID-19”.

On Wednesday, 16 June 1976, thousands of young South African learners took to the streets to protest against an unjust, oppressive educational system designed for black people by white people to benefit the apartheid government.

What began as a peaceful protest on  June 16^th 1976 quickly turned violent , more than 170 young South Africans dead and many injured.

South Africa (SA) observes Youth Day, on 16 June 2020, amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has exposed problems that young South Africans continue to face in SA’s education system.

44 years since the Soweto uprising and South Africa, now a democratic state, continues to experience the legacy of the apartheid system.

Though a lot has changed in South Africa’s educational system, the education system continues to face challenges.

Some schools in parts of South Africa continue to be under-resourced, lacking basic essentials like running water and toilet facilities.