Back in 2016, the Education Ministry announced the completion of a modern National Youth Policy, which it had hoped would fast track youth development and address some of the core issues affecting the forward movement of Guyanese youths.
The Policy, from all indications, had set out a bold and realistic framework for the advancement of the social, economic, cultural, and academic upliftment of youths in all 10 administrative regions, with a heavy focus on those residing in the rural and hinterland areas.
As expected, the Government wasted no time in promoting the newly-completed policy, which was tabled and adopted in the National Assembly.
After all, it was always the intention of the new A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition once it became Government (according to its 2011/15 manifesto) to reduce youth unemployment and haplessness; reduce youth crime and criminality; reduce the rates of suicide and teenage pregnancy; advance the socio-economic interests of youths by providing equitable access to opportunities and scholarships; cause the reformation of the public education sector through the establishment of more schools, higher standards, and the upgrade of quality education provided via tertiary institutions and more specifically the University of Guyana.
There can be no doubt that over the past year and a half, senior politicians in the coalition have recommitted themselves to pursuing the ideals outlined in both the youth policy and their manifestos. They continue to make reference to the issues affecting youths at various forums with the aim of highlighting what should be done and what needs to be done.
Whenever they do this, especially in the presence of some youths, they appear as champions of youth empowerment.
But other youths who make it their duty to keep themselves informed and abreast with current affairs as well as knowledgeable of the policies and reforms being pursued by David Granger’s Government view these public statements as window dressing because somehow the stark reality is, progress for youths in Guyana has been slow and most times, a rollercoaster experience depending on the specific issue at hand.
In fact, others are perturbed, concerned, and frustrated by the lack of progress made in the full implementation of the National Youth Policy, and the snail’s pace at which the other Government-controlled agencies are addressing youth concerns.
They believe that the senior politicians on both sides of the political divide are failing them daily when one looks at the ancient, piecemeal and, most times, ethnically discriminatory actions being taken under the guise of commencing the process of providing a “good life” for youths.
Over the last year and a half, statistics provided by the Social Protection Ministry and its Labour Department show that unemployment and joblessness have increased by at least six per cent. The suicide rate has doubled, with youths in rural communities being the largest category of victims. Youth crime has also increased which has resulted in the increase of persons on remand who are mostly between the ages of 17 and 35.
There is no realistic cultural programme being pursued to get young people involved in the development of the cultural arts or in the creation of newer forms of sub-cultures that could redefine Guyana’s image in this respect within the Region and the competitive international arena.
Regrettably, youths are saying they feel isolated, deprived, and put upon by adults, especially politicians who they trusted because of their failure to deliver on the menu of initiatives that were promised at election time. Now feeling used and betrayed, many young people are opting to migrate to other countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, the US and Canada where the pastures appear greener, more promising and pro-youth.
The truth is, all Guyanese youth aspire to achieve is the ownership of their own homes at affordable prices; an education on which they could secure opportunities to various career paths in order for them to make their mark and change the world in which they reside; a family that could thrive and lead a good life without fear of being discriminated against on the basis of their skin colour, religion, or social standing; and a Government that respects the will of the electorate and understands the importance of inclusionary democracy.
The Government must act more swiftly in order to achieve more tangible results and save our youths from a life of crime and criminality, poverty and social stagnation.
