The Sunday Mail
Ranson Madzamba
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Senator Monica Mutsvangwa recently announced that Cabinet had approved the reintroduction of the National Youth Service Programme.
The decision was reached following extensive consultations between the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation and the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs.
“The proposal came as a result of consultations between the Ministries of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation and Defence and War Veterans Affairs,” said Minister Mutsvangwa during a recent post-Cabinet briefing.
“Cabinet noted that National Youth Service is an important youth development programme which is crucial in nurturing young people into becoming responsible and resilient citizens with a clear sense of national identity and respect for national values.”
The revival of the programme was met with mixed reactions from a cross-section of Zimbabweans with an overwhelming majority welcoming the decision.
It is an irrefutable fact that the programme is crucial and necessary for a developing country like Zimbabwe.
It is very important for one to locate the importance of the programme in the country’s quest to achieve middle-income society status through our economic blueprint: National Development Strategy 1.
The National Youth Service is indeed a pillar that will help propel the country towards Vision 2030.
Government has always prioritised the empowerment of the young people of this country.
Much is being done for the benefit of the youth and indeed the nation at large.
At Independence in 1980, Government started a youth development programme that targeted youths who were coming from the armed struggle.
These youths were assisted with acquiring skills to start their own income-generating projects.
They were later organised into youth brigades.
The idea was to ensure meaningful youth involvement in the social and economic development of the country within a context that was specific to that period.
In September 2001, the National Youth Service Programme was officially launched in Mt. Darwin.
Since its inception, more than 83 000 youths have been trained under the programme and many of them were employed in the public and private sectors on the strength of their discipline and commitment to national goals and values.
The National Youth Service Programme is not unique to Zimbabwe.
Many countries have introduced similar programmes before and after us.
Ghana, Tanzania, Namibia, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, USA, Germany, Malaysia, China, Argentina and Cuba all run national youth service programmes.
Studies show that youth programmes in these countries generally emphasise on nurturing youths into becoming responsible and patriotic citizens.
They also emphasise on youth volunteerism in areas such as disaster management, agriculture, construction and rehabilitation of public infrastructure.
Most of the training programmes involve components of physical fitness, foot drills and vocational skills training.
Above all, the programmes seek to unite people from different parts of their countries.
Judging from all this, one can fairly conclude that there is nothing wrong for Zimbabwe, under the New Dispensation, to re-introduce such a programme for its young people.
For Zimbabwe, this programme will help empower the youths.
Minister Mutsvangwa was clear about this aspect of empowerment when she announced Cabinet’s decision.
She said: “The programme is a key strategy for youth empowerment in national, regional, continental and international development guiding frameworks to which Zimbabwe is a member.
“The frameworks include the SADC Revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan; the African Youth Charter of 2006; the World Programme of Action on Youth; and the United Nations Youth Strategy 2030.
“Graduates of the programme will qualify for further training, assistance in starting businesses, and for enrolment for careers in the police, the army, the air force, nursing and teaching, among other occupations”.
The National Youth Service Programme is thus a crucial conduit for youth development and nurturing young people into responsible and resilient citizens with a clear sense of national identity and respect for national values.
The training will, in one way or the other, anchor the country’s economic development programmes and the assimilation of young people into making meaningful contributions to the economic well-being of our beautiful country.
Voluntary participation in development projects and disaster response activities by trained youths will result in savings for Treasury and improved national capacity to manage disasters.
The programme will instil into the young, values of patriotism, discipline, hard work, loyalty and tolerance.
The programme will also impart attributes that include focus, patience, determination, thoroughness, resilience, helpfulness, integrity and incorruptibility.
Expected outcomes from the National Youth Training Service Programme include:
- Youth employment and employability;
- Reduction in juvenile delinquency;
- Fiscal savings and social services;
- Improved community infrastructure;
- National identity, unity and social cohesion.
We should all welcome the move by the New Dispensation to empower and capacitate our youth for the good of our nation.
The Zimbabwean youth (most preferably those between the age range of 18 to 35 years) must embrace the programme in their numbers.
To all the youth out there, I say, this is the time to say no to drug abuse and start being productive for our own good and that of our beloved country Zimbabwe.
“The youths will not pay fees but will be provided with uniforms, training kits and travel expenses, and will be accorded allowances as the economy improves.
“More details on the implementation modalities of the policy will be provided as the programme unfolds,” said Sen Mutsvangwa.
