Creative youth the catalysts for sustainable development

In this hi-tech era young people are playing an increasingly important role in the mission for socio-economic justice including poverty alleviation, the battle against climate change, human rights and equality in educational opportunities. In Sri Lanka the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) did play such a role since 1965 but unfortunately, the party resorted to violence which resulted in a blood bath in the April 1971 insurrection and the 1987-89 reign of terror. Thankfully, the JVP has now come into the mainstream of politics but the people apparently cannot forget the blood bath and the party was able to win only 3 seats in the August 2020 general election. In a peaceful way young people could play a major role as we see in the case of Sweden’s Greta Thunberg and Pakistan’s Malala Yousuf. Greta has inspired a world-wide movement in the battle against climate change though she started it sitting outside Sweden’s parliament with a placard calling on the countries’ leaders to play a bigger role in the battle against climate change. Malala Yousuf’s campaign was for girls to have equal rights in education and she continues it despite being shot and seriously injured by extremists. The brave girl says, “They can kill me but they cannot kill my dream.”   

On July 15 the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) marks the World Youth Skills Day with the theme being “Reimagining youth skills post-pandemic.” In a statement UNESCO says the event takes place in a challenging context due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. UNESCO estimates that schools were either fully or partially closed for more than 30 weeks between March 2020 and May 2021 in half the countries of the world. In late June this year countries still had full school closures, affecting nearly 157 million learners and 768 million more learners were affected by partial school closures.   

According to UNESCO Respondents to a survey of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions jointly collected by UNESCO, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank reported that distance training had become the most common way of imparting skills, with considerable difficulties regarding, among others, curricula adaptation, trainee and trainer preparedness, connectivity, or assessment and certification processes. ILO estimates show that globally, youth employment fell 8.7 per cent last year, compared with 3.7 per cent for adults, with the most pronounced fall seen in middle-income countries. The consequences of this disruption to the early labour market experiences of youth could last for years.   

World Youth Skills Day 2021 will pay tribute to the resilience and creativity of youth through the crisis. Participants will take stock of how TVET systems have adapted to the pandemic and recession, think of how those systems can participate in the recovery, and imagine priorities they should adopt for the post-COVID-19-world.   

In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day, to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. Since then, World Youth Skills Day events have provided a rare opportunity for dialogue between young people, TVET institutions, firms, employers’ and workers’ organizations, policy makers and development partners. Participants have highlighted the ever-increasing significance of skills as the world is embarking on a transition towards a sustainable model of development.   

Education and training are central to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. The vision of the Incheon Declaration: Education 2030 is fully captured by sustainable development goal 4 “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. Education 2030 devotes considerable attention to technical and vocational skills development, specifically regarding access to affordable quality TVET; the acquisition of technical and vocational skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship; the elimination of gender disparity and ensuring access for the vulnerable. In this context, TVET is expected to address the multiple demands of an economic, social and environmental nature by helping youth and adults develop the skills they need for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship, promoting equitable, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and supporting transitions to green economies and environmental sustainability.   

All over the world including Sri Lanka young people are becoming more creative, imaginative and innovative. At present university students and youth groups are protesting against alleged moves to privatise education. On Thursday their peaceful protests were harshly if not brutally suppressed . The Government needs to remember that the youth are key players in socio-economic moves for sustainable eco-friendly development. A peaceful dialogue with them is vital to build a better just and fair Sri Lanka.