In the early 2000’s, a phrase was coined by some ‘intellectuals’ and it became common place. We were told to be job creators not job seekers. The days of finishing school and getting straight into the work environment or even being recruited while at university were behind us. The capacity of both the public and private sectors to absorb graduates had reduced and kept on a downward spiral. This implied that the competition for jobs was increasing and the chances of every qualified graduate getting employed were reducing significantly. Growth in most productive sectors was either stagnating or reducing. Cooperative societies that had for long driven the agriculture sector were collapsing one by one. The cost of production was increasing yet the returns on investment were not so encouraging. Coffee and cotton exports reduced significantly.
Most Parastatals had just been privatized and many of them were still restructuring and struggling to make profits. Meanwhile, Universities and technical institutions were churning out ever increasing theoretical degree and diploma wielding graduates into a job market that was constantly diminishing and is now almost nonexistent. Economic growth rates were reducing and at best stagnating in the subsequent years. Today, the competition for employment has reached unprecedented levels. To many youth now, graduation marks the start of a very uncertain future. The kind of future that makes them vulnerable and willing to do anything, even criminal, to make ends meet. With a youth unemployment level of about 83 percent, we have a time bomb on our hands.
Last year, Kenya passed a law that makes it mandatory for all high school graduates to enroll in a National Youth service program as they await university enrollment, aimed at giving young people vocational training, empowerment and instilling patriotism amid economic and security challenges. South Africa, Nigeria and Jamaica are among the other countries with programs of a similar nature. While our ‘genius’ ministers and law makers mull over the idea of passing a law that forces us to be patriotic, other countries are actually doing something that instill it naturally.
A national youth service program that combines training in specific career skills, re-socialization and work experience to develop positive attitudes and values among participants in the areas of self, work place, community and nation, as well as provide opportunities and orientation for their entrance into the work force is a much more effective tool to instill patriotism than a law that forces it down our throats. This program would be different from internships as it would emphasize community service and civic duty with participants rendered a small stipend to cater for transport and lunch costs. To minimize this cost, participants would be allocated placement in their home districts in organisations and local government departments that match their qualifications and career preferences.
In Mexico, community service is compulsory for all Mexican university students. These students serve 480 hours of voluntary service during the course of a four year undergraduate education. The aim is to build solidarity among youth and encourage a sense of collaboration in community development. The government sponsored National Youth Commission in South Africa runs a national youth service program that enlists youth to fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS and reduce youth unemployment. In South America, Chile runs a competitive selection civil service program for university graduates with the goal of reducing rural poverty. Lawyers, engineers, medical practitioners and other carefully selected professionals are chosen after graduation to serve in rural areas for a period of 13 months. This approach offers a three pronged solution as the graduates gain the much needed experience, take services to the poor population in hard to reach areas and build working relationships with local people.
Just like any program, a youth service would require quality control to be effective. Participants would have to be periodically monitored by service coordinators, get involved in career guidance sessions, reinforcement of civic values and prudent work ethos. After a period of one year in this service, the youth would be well equipped with the skills to enter the job market raising the quality of the labour force, and the rest would be enterprising enough to identify a niche and create their own practice.
The last issue would be funding for this program. Most countries that run such programs allocate funding from the consolidated fund. However, a new approach with contributions from the private sector and development partners can be explored to kick start this program in Uganda. Coordination would be conducted within a framework that includes the Ministries of Education, Public Service and the Private Sector Foundation of Uganda. If we are to address the ills of unemployment, avert the damage occasioned by a theoretical education system and drive a skills development agenda in this country, a national youth service program is something we must consider for university and high school graduates.
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