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| Onward Gibson |
Blessed Chauke
People have
expressed mixed feelings regarding the recent government decision to
resuscitate the National Youth Service (NYS) which had suffered serious decline
over the years, partly due to lack of sufficient funding.
Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services
Nick Mangwana later tweeted that NYS was important for youth development.
“The (NYS) is an
important youth development programme which is crucial in nurturing young
people into becoming responsible and resilient with a clear sense of national
identity and respect for national values,” said Mangwana.
However, Youth
Forum Zimbabwe director Ashton Bumhira said the return of National Youth
Service should worry all right-minded Zimbabweans as it could worsen
politically-motivated abuses.
“We should
consider that there has not been an attempt to overhaul its implementation and
syllabi from its previous stint,” said Bumhira.
He also said the
timing of the re- establishment of the programme towards elections was scary
for advocates of human rights.
“Graduates of
this programme have a history of being used by the ruling part to intimidate,
abuse and coerce people to vote for the ruling party especially in rural areas
where they will be mostly attached,” said Bumhira.
He said the
programme was mostly likely to be used to create a partisan support base for
Zanu PF, and not to genuinely empower young people.
“Government needs
to consult all interested stakeholders and stop this top down approach to
public policy making. It is clear that the reintroduction of the programme is a
creation of the executive and like previously it will fail,” he said.
Youth
Empowerment and Transformation Trust (YETT) team leader Rosewita Katsande
agreed, saying re-introduction programme raised fears of the old days when
graduates allegedly were used to unleash political violence.
“The youth are
sceptical about the re-introduction of programme because in previous elections,
graduates were instruments of terror. Young people also question the
re-introduction of this programme without taking into account the impact of
past similar initiative to assist in shaping the rebranded youth service.
“The previous
National Youth Service played a destructive role of polarising communities and
militarising the youth. We have never had a transparent audit and evaluation of
the previous activities of the National Youth Services,” said Katsande.
She also said
the previous programme was implemented in a manner and environment that were
not friendly for young women.
“We recall the
sexual harassment of young women at these camps and there was no recourse for
the victims. There is therefore need to review the curriculum in a transparent
and inclusive manner to get young women voices.
“Government has to
offer facilities that are gender-sensitive and enhance a culture of learning
unlike the military style in the previous programme. As long the programme is run
in a partisan and discriminatory manner, it will not provide a safe space for
women,” she said.
However, MyAge
Zimbabwe director Onward Gibson said the re-establishment of the service was a
good move but there was need to protect women from sexual harassment in all
spaces.
“The youth
service programme is a very good developmental programme and the most
successful countries have similar initiatives. We should surely harness the
youth demographic dividend as they are at the core of development.
“I think the
issue of sexual abuse is rampant in work places across every sector and I am sure
there is need to safeguard young women from sexual harassment across board especially
in programmes that involve girls and women through policies,” said Gibson.
NYS Masvingo
provincial chairperson Tavara Mudukuti said he was glad to programme is back as
he had waited for a long time for it.
“Many young
people have benefited from it mentally and physically. During the time of
disasters, the graduates help, just like they did in Chimanimani.
“Resumptions of
this programme also mean jobs for the unemployed youth in the province and the
whole country,” said Mudukuti.
Zimbabwe
National Youth Service Graduates Association (ZNYSGA) Masvingo provincial
spokesperson Tariro Bwerinofa said it was exciting that the programme is being
reintroduced as the country marks 41 years of independence.
“We are grateful
to government for bringing back the training. This is a
good programme because it gives the youth an appreciation of their national
heritage and the duty they owe to their country.
“When you
graduates from the service, you know the national agenda, you have the love for
your country and you want to work for your country. As an association, many of
our members are serving in many government departments while others are now
self-employed.
“We do a lot of
non-paid community work including helping security agencies and we definitely
have a role to play to make Vision 2030 a great success,” said Bwerinofa.
