The Soweto Uprising, also known as 16 June, is a series of protests led by high school students in South Africa that began on the morning of 16 June 1976. Students from numerous Sowetan schools began to protest in the streets of Soweto in response to the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in local schools. An estimated 20,000 students took part in the protests. The number of people who died is usually given as 176, with estimates of up to 700. 16 June is now a public holiday, Youth Day, in South Africa, in remembrance of the events of 1976. Today our nation commemorates the 46th anniversary of the student's uprising of June 16, 1976. The student-led protests in Soweto - known as the Soweto Uprising - The protests began in Soweto schools and spread across the country. The unrest was a response to the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction.