Unmet aspirations

May 04, 2018

IT is about time that someone listened to young people in this country. And there are a lot of them: no less than 64pc of the population is below the age of 30, the largest percentage of young people ever recorded in Pakistan’s history — which makes the findings of the recently released report by the UNDP a cause for deep concern. According to this comprehensive document — based on various activities involving this demographic, including 81 focus group discussions held across the country — 69pc of them have 10 or less years of education, including 29pc who have no schooling at all. Depressingly, if the current rate of enrolment does not improve, it will take 60 years for every Pakistani child of school-going age to be in an educational institution. Whether they have access to quality education, a vital consideration, is another matter altogether. Moreover, the unemployment rate among young people is 9pc, while only 6pc have access to libraries and 7pc to sports facilities.

Such appalling neglect of young people’s mental and physical well-being and, by extension, disregard for their aspirations — a term that does not extend to gainful employment alone — does not augur well. The ‘youth’ bulge can work to Pakistan’s advantage if its potential for high productivity and entrepreneurship is properly nurtured and harnessed. If not, and time is fast running out, the resulting frustration and sense of powerlessness are likely to foment political unrest and societal collapse. The growing influence of mainstream and social media means that this generation is more aware of the promise the future can hold, and how far it lies beyond their reach. At the same time, within the alarming data in the report, there is also an encouraging, if poignant, statistic, because it indicates that despite getting such a raw deal, young people still have hope their voices will be heard — such is the innate optimism of youth. How else can one interpret the fact that though only 24pc of them trust politicians, 90pc of men and 55pc of women among them 18 years and above, intend to vote in the next election? Policymakers, if they have any interest in shaping Pakistan’s future direction, must tap into this yearning. Thus far, they have only shown unconscionable negligence towards this massive and fast-expanding demographic. Now is the moment, when political parties are preparing their manifestos, to address this gap and the challenges that come with it.