Times Of Swaziland: FOCUS ON YOUTH INTENTIONALLY

FOCUS ON YOUTH INTENTIONALLY
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Son of the Soil on 11/11/2024 13:46:00


One of the most glaring gaps I discovered in our Constitution, after perusing it
many times, is its non-mention of the youth. There is mention of the family
institution, women and the elderly as sectors of the population to be given
priority, especially in the directive principles of state policy and duties of
the citizen, but absolutely nothing on the youth.
This, I find most concerning, especially in a country that has a relatively
young population. I would be somewhat consoled if there were, in place, some
other law that focused exclusively on the youth to demonstrate that as a
country, we are deliberate in acknowledging this energetic and productive sector
of society. I have not come across such a law.
Hope
The establishment of a Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs some years
ago gave hope that youth issues would finally be prioritised and mainstreamed in
government programmes. Unless I am totally uninitiated in government programmes,
I am struggling to see what benefits the youth have gained from the
establishment of an entire government ministry dedicated to them, with a
political head, who is a member of Cabinet. Since the establishment of this
ministry, it has been discouraging to note the meagre allocations it receives
each time the budget speech is read.
The youth just seem to be an appendage or afterthought in government priorities.
The only document that speaks to issues of the youth in detail is the National
Youth Policy, which was first adopted in 2009. Eswatini then went on in 2013 to
ratify the African Youth Charter. Several other well-written government policy
documents, such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Plan, the Small and
Medium Enterprise Development Policy, and other seemingly well-meaning road
maps, mention youth employment as a pillar of economic growth and poverty
reduction, but nothing ever materialises.
The level of unemployment and poverty our young people are enduring is
dangerous, to say the least, and may lead to a plethora of issues if left
unattended. Our economy is not responsive to youth needs, and I am not convinced
there is any political will to fully implement the objectives of the Youth
Policy and the other policies mentioned above.
Need
This Youth Policy, among other issues, speaks of the need to invest in an
educational curriculum that is responsive to the needs of the labour market,
expanding public works and infrastructure to provide youth with the much-needed
jobs. The call to overhaul the education system has fallen on deaf ears for
years now. No study has been done to explain the huge variance of the children
who leave primary school and do not make it to secondary school and those who
never make it to high school after secondary level.  Those of our children who
are not so gifted academically cannot make adequate use of the 12 years of
schooling to eke out a decent living, because the education does not equip them
with the necessary skills.
The lucky ones are absorbed into the informal sector, while some make up the
overwhelming majority of the textile industry, which employs only a fraction of
them. A selected few make it to the limited tertiary institutions in the
country. The rest lie idle at home under unfavourable economic and social
conditions. Youth unemployment in Eswatini stands at a staggering 58.3 per cent,
which is almost half the youth population. With economic growth forecasted
negatively, this number can only be expected to grow. Now, this is a recipe for
disaster. This tiny kingdom also has one of the highest HIV rates in the world,
and there can be no prizes for guessing that this has a correlation to the high
rate of unemployment.
Sector
Other countries, realising that the youth are a very productive and energetic
sector of society, have put in place programmes to ensure that this group is
kept busy and contributes to the economy of the country. Heavy investment in
sport is one such strategy. Others have invested heavily in technical and
vocational training education (TVET), as opposed to heavy investment in a
straitjacket model of education that does not embrace the varying capabilities
of children and has very little benefit to the economy. Policies can be put in
place, which encourage businesses to employ and invest in the youth through
various forms of incentives, which may include tax relief. As a country, we
really need to stop paying lip service to our commitment to the youth.
In section 59 of the Constitution, the State (government) undertakes to take all
necessary action to ensure that emaSwati secure maximum welfare, freedom and
happiness, and to provide adequate means of livelihood, suitable employment and
public assistance to the needy. We need government, as a dutybearer in this
regard, to step up and put the youth at the forefront of development by
implementing the catalogue of policies that should serve the youth.