What is our future going to look like?

Dear Zimbabwean Youth,

What is our future going to look like?

According to the, African Union (AU) 65% of the entire African population are youth  aged between 15 -35 and the number of youth in Africa is expected to double in the next 50 years. Following the same trend Zimbabwe is also experiencing a youth bulge. Statistics indicate that 70% of the Zimbabwean population are youth.  Now this age group of youth constitutes  people at different stages, from high school, tetiary education, early and mid career workers.

All of these groups of people have not been spared from the harsh brunt of the prevailing socio-economic and political realities.  I will dissect my analysis into the respective groups.

High School

Most of the youth that are in our high schools are in rural areas. In these areas there are no resources, children walk many kilometres just to get to school to gather around  an untrained teacher. Although as a nation we have the highest literacy rate on the continent of 90.9% this has not translated into real opportunities for pupils.  From last years  O level results analysis by our local examination board  ZIMSEC  from the 268 854 pupils that sat for their exams only a paltry 18.4% managed to pass their examinations with 5 ‘O’ levels and above. The status quo  in our curriculum development pronounces a bleak future on our own education system, global trends clearly indiacate that  unless curricula are rethought  to entail digital skills and 21st century skills as a matter of urgency the biggest problem anticipated for the future  job market will be the disjunct between  academic skills  being taught and  those required by the job market in this fast moving digital era. In the near future basic literacy will not be about being able to read and write only but  will also include basic and productive manipulation of  information technology.  Sadly in Zimbabwe our policy makers have not taken serious steps  to integrate contemporary education paradigms eg 21st century skills, financial literacy,  entrepreneurship  and other key components of Education For sustainable Development (ESD) in our curricula. The effects of an education that is not adaptive are long term and will be felt in the future when we churn out an imcompitent workerforce matching against global standards.

Tetiary Level

The crux of the matter is this, access to tetiary education  has become a privilege of the elite few in Zimbabwe More than half of the students that pass at advanced level are denied the opportunity to acquire a tetiary education because of the hefty fees charged at these institutions. Most tertiary institutions are operating in a for-profit manner.  Student assistance mechanisms  from the government have since become dysfunctional.  Even in those institutions that are charging outrageous fees the money has not translated into better infrastructure and richer learning experiences for students but rather have  have maliciously channelled to buy flashy cars and to support the flamboyant lifestyles of those that have been entrusted to run these institutions.

Early-Mid Career Youth

This is by far one of the most  frustrating time for any young person in Zimbabwe- the post tertiary period.

The fact is this: there are no jobs.

According to some sources there is over 80% structural  youth unemployment in Zimbabwe. Which is very high in comparison to an avarage of 61% on the whole continent. In actual fact job opportunities are actually getting scarcer as the economy is slowing down. Our policies have not been effective enough to instill investor confidence to bring the much needed foreign investment to stimulate the economy. In actual fact they have managed to do just quite the opposite.

Now that we have dissected some of the pertinent issues affecting the youth let us bring these issues into perspective by connecting the dots.

Hypothetically speaking, in tandem with the prevailing conditions, if we had a 1000 pupils to sit for O level examinations and (in a good year) lets say 20% of the pupils pass. That means  200 students would make it to A level. And assuming that of those pupils 50% pass  and are able to pay for tertiary education that gives us 100 students in university. Assuming that all these students have managed to successfully complete tertiary education they still face a grim reality in the job market.  Only 20 of those 100 students would be able to get a job or at least one which matches their skills.  Not withstanding the fact that by this time in the future these early-mid career youth because of having gone through a curricula  that failed to equip them with skills for the future they may not be competent in a globalised environment implying lower annual turnover.

What does this mean?

The basic fact is that government earns most of its money through taxes. The Highest earners  pay about 35% according to Zimbabwe revenue laws, not including VAT which we are all subject to (15%) But the system that is prevalent now is  creating fewer taxpayers, and placing a heavier load on them. In the hypothesis that I gave, those 20  will  inevitably support the 880 that were left behind by the system for social services education, health etc, Not to mention to support the government itself. If things continue like this, we are on a slow but gradual trajectory of detriment.

As youth we are the worst affected, if we remain complacent and exclude ourselves from the problem solving process we are
condemning not only ourselves but the future of our children and that of generations to come.

My question to you is: what do you think we should do as youth’s to turn around the table and to secure a better future for ourselves and  that of future generations to come?

Your Deeply Patriotic Brother,

Moses Machipisa

(Originally posted on Facebook)