Youth are the building blocks of a nation. It is a fact that the more stronger the youth, the more developed the nation is. The role of the youth in the nation-building occupies the central place. The countries which utilize their youth in as right direction are more developed. The energy and brightness of minds of youth act as torch-bearer for a nation. On the contrary, the countries which fail to realize the importance of the youth lag behind in every department of life. If youth is not in the right direction and is unconcerned about the future of the nation, it will become a burden for the nation.
Consequently, it will not play any productive role. Pakistan has a large youth population. An estimated 63% of the population fall under the age of 25 years. Due to endemic poverty, the majority of youth in Pakistan do not have the opportunity to experience a childhood. Male youth literacy rate is estimated to be 53% and female youth literacy rate is even lower at 42%. As far employment is concerned 15% of the youth is unemployed. Despite constituting a major chunk of our population, our youth are lagging behind in every field.
Thy have a major role to play in country’s progress but due to government’s negligence they are facing many new challenges in today’s society. They have been afflicted by an identity crisis, lack of self-confidence and low self-esteem, a sense of hopelessness and confusion and ambiguity concerning about moral issues and future. They have been trapped in a culture marked by guns, violence and drugs. All this has resulted in an unstable economy, a shattered confidence of foreign investors, lawlessness and a break-up of the social fabric.
Education is the most powerful weapon of the youth. With this weapon they could lead their country towards progress. But unfortunately, quality and skill based education has been a dream for our youth especially for the poor. There is no formal guidance for students in logical selection of a specific course of study. There is no unified and single education system in the country. Our universities and colleges have become degree distributing machines. Education does not mean only degrees but in its true sense it is the future of the youth.
Poverty is another major problem of our youth. Due to lack of resources they are unable to get quality education and pursue their field of interest. Poverty is a sort of disease which is weakening our youth. They are unable to fully use their talent and serve their country. Another major problem being faced by our youth is unemployment. After completing their education, they find no job to utilize their skills to serve their country. This is the result of negligence of government towards utilization of the youth in a proper manner.
Deteriorating conditions are also responsible for low investment in the country resulting in less job opportunities. Unemployment is a multi-dimensional and complex issue which starts a vicious circle of associated problems Some other major problems faced by our youth are child labour , committing sucide , growing use of narcotics and frustration. Despite the multiplicity of problems, it is still a right time for government to take some pragmatic steps. Of the 15 largest countries in the world in terms of population, Pakistan has by far the youngest population.
Government should not regard the young population as a burden but an asset. We need to bear in mind that “the destiny of nations is in the hands of youth”. Keeping in view this fact, here are some suggestions to make good use of our youth. • Competitive teachers must be recruited who could encourage and guide our youth to right lines. • Politics must be prevented in the educational institutions. • Campaign be started by the media that it is only education which can make our country more prosperous.
We must have 100% literacy. • It has become a common psyche among the well-educated people that after the completion of the education they would leave their country in the lurch. Government must prevent brain-drain in our country by providing full employment and act as a magnet for bright minds. • Parents should teach youngsters patience to face the difficulties and be steadfast. • Youth be given ample opportunities to prove and cash their skill in every field. • Right men be placed on right places. Youth should be clear about their future. • Youth should be at arm’s length from the bad company. To conclude, the youth of today can do a marvellous job for the nation. With all the modern means of this computer age, where everything seems to be possible, why can’t the youth override the things done by the people in the past? We always consider the heroes of the past to be the evergreen characters. But today the youth with the proper use of the modern facilities should be evergreen characters for the times to come.
