Youth crisis being ignored by PPP/C administration – Granger

May 15, 2011 News

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People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Presidential candidate, David Granger in a recent public statement opined that the current administration is ignoring the youth crisis in the country.
This year has been designated the International Year of the Youth (IYY) by the United Nations, but according to Granger, the PPP/C administration is ignoring this fact.

The Presidential candidate in his statement noted that the Government, which ought to be concerned about the importance of youth, has been silent on the very important declaration.  “Silence on the meaningful celebration of the year, silence on the need to introduce serious policies to promote youth development and silence on the need to protect youth from abuse.”
Granger pointed out that the administration must be aware that the IYY was intended to signify the importance which the international community places on integrating youth-related issues into global, regional, and national development agendas.  ”The Year aims ”to promote the ideals of peace, respect for human rights and solidarity across generations, cultures, religions and civilizations. Why is the Government of Guyana ignoring this event and the youth crisis?”
It was noted that the United Nations was concerned enough about young people to have made them the subject of this year’s observance. ‘Youths’ have been defined by the UN as those between the ages of 15 to 24 years. Persons in this age group represent 18 per cent of the global population or 1.2 billion people.
Granger further stated that the United Nations recognises that young people in all countries are a major human resource for development, positive social change and technological innovation. “Their ideals, energy and vision are essential for the continuing development of their societies”.
He emphasised that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was also concerned about the youth crisis. The CARICOM Commission on Youth Development last year issued an important Report – ‘Eye on the Future: Invest in Youth Now for the Community Tomorrow’.
“It was noted in that report among other things that the primary education dropout rate was ”at a staggering height.” Worse, at an average of 23 per cent, joblessness among young people in the Caribbean Community [which includes Guyana] was higher than many other developed and developing countries. Murder rates in the Caribbean, at 30 per 100,000 annually, are higher than any other region of the world. Youths are the ”primary perpetrators and victims of criminal violence.
The report pointed, also, to the economic costs of juvenile crime. These include the ”direct financial costs related to public expenditure on security, policing, judicial processing and incarceration as well as indirect costs linked to the foregone earnings of the criminal and to the losses in tourism revenues.” The nexus between joblessness and juvenile crime is unquestionable.”
Further Granger stated that the PPP/C administration seems to view youth with less concern than these international organisations.
“It is clear to everyone that education and employment are the central issues affecting young people in Guyana.”
Granger said despite its awareness of this reality, the PPP/C resorted to a bewildering hotchpotch of remedies which cannot solve the dual education and employment crisis.
According to the PNCR Presidential candidate, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, soon after he was appointed in 2006, publicly announced that the National Youth Policy – which had been promulgated since the early 1990s – should be reviewed.
“That was five years ago! Anthony admitted to the National Assembly this year that the PPP/C Administration still does not have a functional National Youth Policy.”
The presidential hopeful further pointed out that the PPP/C has been in office for nearly 19 years, during which time it never seems to have been able to craft a coherent policy for the nation’s youth.
“Dr. Anthony had promised to upgrade the outdated policy but, a year later, nothing had been done”.
“He (Dr. Anthony) did admit, for example, that a survey done by the Ministry of Health found that young people were engaged in unsafe and undesirable practices placing them at risk…of those young people surveyed, 58.7 per cent were sexually active and, of those, 53.5 per cent were not using condoms. The survey showed, also, that apart from sexual behaviour, more than 50 per cent were shown to have consumed alcohol.”
Mention was also made of the failing education system that has been set up to benefit youth in Guyana.
“All Guyanese must be concerned about the present predicament of youth.”
Granger said if elected president, he will implement serious changes.
“We shall embark on serious youth education improvement, serious youth employment opportunities and serious youth empowerment initiatives.”
Granger stressed that his administration will reduce the massive rate of school dropouts by improving the quality of teaching, by inculcating values and standards and by increasing the number of qualified teachers.
“We shall also seek to ensure that more youths leave school prepared to participate gainfully in the mainstream economy.”
Granger added that his administration will give young people in urban, rural and hinterland areas the hope of enjoying a ‘good life’ in the land of their birth.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in December 2009 proclaiming the International Year for Youth. The Year began on 12th August 2010 – as the International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding – and coincides with the 25th anniversary of the first International Youth Year in 1985 on the theme ”Participation, Development and Peace”.
“What has the Guyana Government done to observe the IYY?” Granger asked.

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