Moalims

This is referred to policy makers in the corridors of power. Youth bulge means a peak in the share of the persons aged 15-24 in the population. Out of 180 million, 60 percent of Pakistan’s population comprises youth. According to recent statistics, 36 million are in the age group of 20-24 years and 58 million are below the age of 15. After Yemen, Pakistan has the second highest percentage of youth population.

In Pakistan, however, 32 percent of youth are illiterate, whereas 8.2 percent youth are unemployed with no vocational and technical skills. Due to the absence of national youth policy, youth is marginalised, disorganised, unequipped and considered unimportant for state institutions. Shockingly, social inequalities, plutocracy, stratified system of education, religious conservatism, injustice, economic disparity and chronic misgovernance have led to unrest, conflicts, violence, war and terrorism. The current wave of radicalisation, militancy and political unrest corroborate this logically.

If this golden opportunity is tackled properly ,it will provide a huge market for consumer goods as well as a large labour force that could be productively employed, representing what is generally referred to as the ‘demographic dividend or boom’.

There is a need to build partnership with youth through 3Es: education, employment and engagement.

Mechanisms for educational resource generation should be formulated, i.e. reinforcing extra surcharge, allocating import and export surcharge for education, saving a penny for the nation’s future, educational emergency, contracts with higher educational institutions of the world, and collaborating for education with every region of the world.

Employment opportunities can be made better through the promotion of low, medium and high tech business; engaging youth via partnerships not loans; developing youth led corporate sector and the promotion of entrepreneurial activities.

Pragmatically, strategies for better resource generation include: promotion of partnership among local business; tax rebate to youth employers as well as employees; building infrastructure; promoting local tourism; developing services at village level; resource generation through sports and festivals and by ensuring vigilance through engagement and not only through security.

For the smooth sailing of the democratic project, local government be devolved at the grassroots level and media as well as civil society be the forerunner to educate, inform and entertain youth through its recurrent themes of broad based plurality and inclusive religious diversity. This is what wisdom demands.

SAEED ULLAH KHAN WAZIR

Bannu