25 June 2013
The Petition highlights the observations and frustrations by youth actors on further delay to review and adopt the National Youth Policy (1996). The review policy process has stalled since 2007 with no clear explanations to the youth of Malawi. The Petition is a Call to Action by the Malawi Parliament to support the demand by youths for the National Youth Policy that should guide and facilitate meaningful youth development in Malawi in a fast changing society. This is in recognition of the fact that the youth are a social capital that can help accelerate development if their energies and skills are catalyzed into productive work through the provision of a conducive legal and policy environment.
Contacts: collectiveyouthaction66@gmail.com/ 0999110606/0888748772
Background Information
On 26 June 1996, the Malawi Parliament passed an Act for establishment of the National Youth Council of Malawi to “make a provision for the promotion, co-ordination and implementation of youth development programmes in Malawi; the establishment of a National Youth Council of Malawi; and further to provide for matters incidental thereto or connected therewith”. The passing of the Act signified the commitment of Government to youth development in a new democratic dispensation. In the same year, the Malawi Cabinet adopted a National Youth Policy (1996) whose purpose is to provide guidelines for the development of action programmes and services to facilitate meaningful youth involvement in the overall national development efforts. However, the youth policy has never been fully reviewed since 1996 despite the provision for the same as a response to the changing needs of both the youth and the nation at large. The review process initiated in 2007 has stalled for no clear reasons and explanation from government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports in particular. Efforts by the youth and youth organizations to demand the completion of the policy review process has not yielded any tangible results worth recording until now.
Why an Up-to Date National Youth Policy?
Since the passing of the National Youth Council Act (1996) and the resultant adoption of the National Youth Policy (1996), several political, social and economic changes have occurred which are both a challenge and an opportunity for Malawi. Since 1996, the total population for the country has almost doubled from below 9 million to over 15.5 million (2012 est.). In Malawi where the median age is 17 years and with persons below 30 years counting for over 66 percent (over 10 million) of the total population, the youth population boom means extra pressure on social services such as education and health that are heavily subsidized by government. With increasingly changing roles of children and youths as a result of high poverty levels and disease burden due to the HIV and Aids, the space for youths in development must be redefined through relevant and updated policies such as the National Youth Policy. Despite democratic transition, the contemporary political challenges also lay the foundation of the call for the constructive youth engagement in democratic and governance processes. The inclusion of Youth Development and Empowerment as a priority area in the MGDS ll (2011-2016) is another policy signal. Therefore, the political, social and economic changes that have occurred over a period of 17 years since 1996 justify calls by the youth and other stakeholders for the completion of review process around the youth policy to respond to these needs. It is our general consensus that the review of the policy is long overdue and unnecessarily delayed.
Situation of Youth Development in Malawi
Despite the introduction of legal and policy instruments as cited above, youth development has stagnated and practically has not been a priority focus for successive governments that have only mastered rhetoric and lip service to the youth of Malawi. There has not been any comprehensive youth development programmes to tackle rising challenges the youth are facing such as high unemployment, limited access to education and training, high disease burden and many more. Despite being in majority, the youth have been pushed to the peripheral of development discourse whose participation has remained cosmetic and tokenistic. For example, the youth have been exploited and abused as agents of political violence and intimidation. Youth programmes have been politicized over time. Above all, public institutions that are meant to facilitate youth development have increasingly become unresponsive to the needs of youths and they are less accountable. Instead, the National Youth Council of Malawi and Ministry of Youth and Sports have turned themselves into agents of youth marginalization and in most cases cash cows for a few individuals who are not concerned with the plight of youths and their idling. It is inconceivable that since 2007, the two institutions which are supposed to “champion” youth development in Malawi have failed to stand up for the youth by ignoring the completion of the youth policy review process which is supposed to be a top youth agenda item. Additionally, funding for youth programmes is disappointingly low. Surely, the environment for youth participation has again become unfavorable and unfairly restricted.
Counting the Cost
The absence of an up-to-date National Youth Policy is a big policy gap in the efforts to promote meaningful youth participation and accelerate development in Malawi. Without an updated policy, government interventions and programmes are failing to decisively respond to changing needs of the youth and utilize the social youth capital for the benefit of the nation. In brief, lack of relevant guiding policy in youth development has resulted in the following:
1. More attention being given to non-priority areas such as sports as opposed to youth development programmes and planning is basically spontaneous.
2. Politicization of youth programmes leading to a waste of public resources. For example, youth development programmes such as the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDEF) have not benefited the youth as intended due to political interference.
3. Failure to commit adequate financial resources for youth development programmes.
4. Worsening governance issues such as lack of accountability and transparency at both National Youth Council of Malawi and Ministry of Youth and Sports. Failure to review the National Youth Policy signifies lack of commitment and responsiveness to the needs of the youth in Malawi.
5. Lack of effective participation of youths in programmes and activities that concern them as more energy is being spent on advocating for the adoption of the National Youth Policy rather than on implementation and monitoring.
6. Lack of ownership of development programmes by the youth.
7. Increasing challenges facing the youth such as unemployment, school dropout, early marriages, drug abuse and other forms of delinquency due to unmet demands for effective youth development.
8. Inadequate programming and lack of effective mainstreaming of youth voices and action in national development programmes such as economic activities.
9. Haphazard introduction of youth programmes that are not guided by any policy.
10. Breakdown of collective values of patriotism, volunteerism, and responsibility among the youth.
Why Turning to Parliament?
The sustained efforts by youth actors to push for the adoption of the National Youth Policy have not yielded the expected results over the years as compared to what has been happening in other government departments and ministries. Despite serious engagement to have the policy adopted, decision and policy makers have adopted a “Business-as-usual” approach with no urgency at all. Channels through which to present concerns over the policy have been followed. Instead, the youth have been intimidated and silenced by the same officials that are supposed to champion their cause. Most recently, youth leaders and actors have presented various petitions, communiqués and letters to government officials including the Minister of Youth of Sports, Hon. Enock Chihana. The highest office in the land has also been engaged over the same youth policy through the Head of State, Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda (November 2012) where the President said “Youth empowerment cannot be postponed”. Yet in all these efforts, youths have received promises after promises for quick actions around the National Youth Policy with no tangible progress and results realized. Having engaged the line Ministry and the Executive arm of government, the youth now turn to the Malawi Parliament for support in pressing on government to quickly adopt the reviewed youth policy with no further delays and roll out its implementation.
Recent Developments
Apart from the further delay in adopting a revised version of the National Youth Policy, the youth have been pushed by recent developments in the youth sector to present this petition to the Malawi Parliament appealing for help. Recently, government has been introducing various programmes targeting the youth without the guidance of an up-to-date youth policy. For example, youths are concerned with the introduction of labour export programme to Middle-East and Asian countries, yet no similar urgency has been given to the review of the youth policy which could help in the harmonization of youth empowerment and job creation interventions. In addition, youth actors are increasingly losing patience on the continued delay to adopt the policy and the rolling out of its implementation. These frustrations among the youth actors are obviously bringing unnecessary discord between them and the officials at the Ministry of Youth and Sports if the recent negative exchanges between some youth actors and the Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. Enock Chihana is anything to go by. The youth feel that the best approach is to continue engaging government through other arms until their call is taken heed of, hence the appeal to the Malawi Parliament to support this cause.
Call to Action
The youth of Malawi are hereby calling on all Members of Parliament to exercise their oversight duty by engaging and pressing on the Executive Arm of Government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports to finalize the policy review process as soon as possible preferably by end of July 2013. This appeal is in line with youth aspirations to operate in an enabling environment in order to contribute effectively to national building and that it is unfair for the youths to have no up-to-date policy that can stimulate positive investment in programmes and activities that concern them despite their obvious potential and majority. For the sake of sustainable development, the adoption of an up-to-date youth policy should be a priority by government.
A Gloomy Picture: Asking the Tough Questions
1. Why out of over 430,000 candidates that sit of examinations (PSLS, JCE, MSCE) in a year over 150,000 candidates are certified “FAILURES” and many are not given a second chance?
2. Why out of over 100,000 candidates for MSCE, more than 95,000 candidates cannot access tertiary education in public universities and colleges?
3. Are there are any comprehensive programmes targeting youths that are out of school and those that cannot access post-secondary education due to limited spaces?
4. Where do these young people go? Does it concern us?
5. Is this not enough voice for the adoption of the National Youth Policy? If not then, what is?
Conclusion
It is our conviction that the continued delay to adopt an updated National Youth Policy is a mockery to youth development in Malawi and unfair to youths that constitute the largest proportion of the population. While there is much talk of youth development by government and other stakeholders, absence of the reviewed youth policy is a contradiction of highest order. We therefore call upon the Members of Parliament to join millions of young people across the country in claiming what belongs to the present and future generations. Through this petition, we demonstrate our love for Malawi and readiness to engage in policy dialogue as our priority method for pushing our agenda. We hope government will listen to faltering voices of the youth and act accordingly. A further delay would be a great mockery to the youth of Malawi. We believe the youth deserve better.
Signed
Edward Chileka-Banda
YCF National Coordinator
Signed:
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