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Country Director, United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Lagos, Roland Kayanja, has advocated the development of youth-centred policies to ensure their participation in the formulation and implementation of government’s policies.
This, Kayanja said, will tackle youth restiveness, unemployment and enhance the success of such policies, create a sense of ownership among the youths and paving the way for inclusion and all-encompassing development.
Kayanja spoke during a media briefing at UNIC Office, Ikoyi, Lagos, in commemoration of the International Youth Day (IYD) in conjunction with Mind-to-Mind Initiative, a non-governmental organisation.
Citing UN’s world youth report 2018, which puts the number of young people at 1.2 billion or 16 per cent of the global population, Kayanja said, “This year’s IYD focuses on transforming education.
“Formal education and training systems often do not reach marginalised youth or cater for young women, rural or indigenous youths, or those with cognitive disabilities, leaving them without requisite skills to realise their potential.
“This demands attention to the importance of carrying youths along and of finding new and innovative ways to provide them with the hard and soft skills, as well as the training necessary for today’s labour market.”
While urging government to see the youth as a blessing for the country, Kayanja noted that they could be a positive force for development when armed with the right knowledge and opportunities.
Speaking, Director, Mind-to-Mind Initiative, Olu Victor Oyinloye, said youth should be positively engaged to contribute meaningfully to national development.
Oyinloye, who underscored the role of education in economic development, appealed to the government prioritise making the sector more functional, inclusive and qualitative.
To ensure total transformation of the youth in line with this year’s theme, he advocated a complete system overhaul to meet global trends.
Its Founder, Chinasa Amaechi, explained that the organisation was set up to create a platform where youths could be monitored and positioned for greatness.
She lamented a situation where parents spend huge sums of money to send their dependents abroad for studies, saying, “Our government should do more to address the critical challenges of the sector, including infrastructure, learning facilities, conducive environment and adequate teachers’ training.”
To address the increasing number of out-of-school children in the country, they urged the government enact a law against street hawking, stressing: “Government should deploy education marshals to enforce the law against hawking by children who should be in school.”
They also sought the support and collaboration of the private sector, NGOs, and faith-based organisations in funding the sector, pointing out that with improved funding, the system will experience positive changes.