The quality and relevance of education is usually considered as the first root cause of youth unemployment. For rural students however, subjects such as ICT are hard. You can't learn about computers without electricity or without the computers. In 2019 alone, 87 rural schools had a zero percent pass rate and more than 20 000 students dropped out of primary school in 2018. The damage is deeper than we realize.
Beyond the necessity to ensure its access to all, education is not adequately tailored to the needs of the labor market. This in turn leads to two consequences; the inability for young people to find jobs and the inability for employers to hire the skills they need.
"We are likely to have a generation that is not only unemployed but unemployable "
"We are highly literate but poorly skilled"
The development of temporary forms of work such as internships, seasonal jobs and short term contracts have left young workers in precarious situations. Because their jobs are temporary contracts, youths are the first to be laid off when a company downsizes.
According to the government, 30 000 young people graduate each year but just a few of them get jobs. The few that are 'employed' are stuck in an 'informal' sector and whatever they are doing there; it is totally different from what they were qualified to do.
In such a setting, one can easily forget the theories they cramed night before examinations at college. Not only that, there is a risk of loss of talent, skills and entrepreneurial innovation and productivity.
Once laid off, young people are unemployed and disadvantaged in the job search. They end up getting involved in crime, substance abuse, conflict and exploitation. Some are arrested and the criminal record stands as a dent on their profile. This disqualifies them, leading to their unemployability.
"Young people are finding it hard to be competitive in the corporate world. "
The government is pairing universities with companies and industries and building incubation hubs, Now that's the sought of education development people like to see. Such hubs are likely to have an impact on people's lives.
Through the Basic Education Assistance Module ( BEAM), and other tertiary loan schemes, government is trying to fund the education of young people in the country.
We acknowledge the efforts government is taking to bridge the gap, but to make our literacy count, we need more skilled teachers, more technical colleges, functional reactional centers, employment opportunities that are not based on tribal lines and an official directory for all vacancies from both the public and private sector. This way, we can pride ourselves in our education system once again.
