The sooner education is recognized as the fundamental building block for social prosperity, opportunities will be created to appreciate the worthiness of our youth.
Five confident and enthusiastic Grade-12 students from Jubilee Catholic Secondary School participated in the Chat Room on Wednesday 11th August 2021, and discussed the topic, ‘Creating Opportunities for Young People’.
They highlighted the fact that 65 percent of the country’s population comprises of young people below the age of 25, a tremendous potential in developing the nation and the negative effect of little to no opportunities being created, importance of academic qualifications and the need for exposure and experience. They made a strong call to the government to improve the education system to cater for all.
Romona Krewanty, told of how the youths around the world were marginalized to the extent where they were denied any opportunity to partake in developing the country. She said if current population trends continue, this group will no doubt continue to grow rapidly and if not harnessed, this group presents a potentially danger for the society. “The youth are the country’s future and therefore should be nurtured and offered opportunities to have better lives,” she said.
Bill Barara, emphasized on how young people lacked opportunities and often resulted in them engaging in opportunistic crimes and violence.
“Without investment in the health, education and the employability of this large population cohort, the potential of this group to contribute to the nation’s future will not be realized.
“With inadequate access to formal education, lack of suitable facilities and activities and limited job training opportunities and a high unemployment rate, adolescents and youths are often not fully engaged or able to participate in the development of their community,” he added.
Dante Elijah said opportunities usually presented themselves after days and weeks of dedicated and relentless hard work. He urged young people to always hurdle through the struggles before opting for an easy way out.
Joshua Kabewa maintained that education was still the best pathway for creating overwhelming prospects for young people while encouraging the youths. “Thanks to the advances in technology and development of the Internet, opportunities are now before us and it is for us to realize this and seize them for ourselves. Make use of what we have at the moment,” he said.
He further appreciated the programs provided by organizations such as Transparency International PNG, The Voice Inc, and the Youth Against Corruption Association, and said these helped mold and shape young individuals’ perception of thinking.
Regania Possman expressed her dissatisfaction with the current bottleneck education system that denied many capable and educated Grade-12 School leavers from continuing into tertiary studies.
“We implore our youths to first of all acquire a Can-Do attitude. Be visionaries, believe in yourselves and what you can offer. Use your initiative to create your own pathways and push forward and face life head on. The road to success is not a smooth one but if you are willing to put in the effort to see your goals through then you're already halfway there,” she said
