Establishment of a compulsory national youth service in the pipeline
The government is eyeing the establishment of a compulsory national youth service with the aim to address socio-economic and security concerns in the country, an official said last week.
The Minister of Sport, Youth, and National Service, Erastus Uutoni said this on occasion of the official handover of the Chinese-funded National Youth Training Center Phase 2 project in Reitfontein, in the Otjozondjupa Region.
“It is worthwhile to mention that National Youth Service (NYS) submitted a blue paper to its line ministry and other stakeholders for further consultations to establish a compulsory national youth service,” he said.
According to Uutoni, if approved the service will then become mandatory to the youth.
“The concept of national youth service has been implemented around the world for many decades now and it is meant to inculcate discipline, loyalty, patriotism and to address the issue of unemployment,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the minister said that the government is committed to the social development of the youth, thus they will continue to make resources available to institutions such as the new National Youth Training Centre and implement measures aimed at preparing the youth for the future.
