27 Mar 2014

The national service programme is intended to promote patriotism and to enable the youth to participate in the development of their communities.

The deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture, Mr Jefferson Siamisang told a Lobatse Town Council  (LTC) meeting on March 25 that the programme was also a voluntary initiative. “The programme is also meant to enable the youth to participate and engage in the development of their communities,” said Mr Siamisang.

He noted that Tirelo Setshaba also seeks to tap into the creativity and energy of young people, foster behaviour change and instill a sense of responsibility and accountability. He said the initiative would engage young people to get involved with their communities in a tangible way. Mr Siamisang said the programme would also instill the spirit of civic participation, volunteerism and creating pathways among the youth.

He said the other purpose of Tirelo Setshaba was to reverse the challenges faced by the youth such as unemployment through tapping into their ingenuity. “The problem of youth engagement is increasingly becoming a major challenge,” he said, adding that the youth were not only vulnerable in terms of unemployment, but also poverty, disease and other social ills.

He said through the programme young people would learn valuable work skills and develop an appreciation for citizenship while serving and impacting communities. Mr Siamisang told councillors that 26 000 applicants expressed interest to join the programme, adding that only 15 000 applicants would be admitted.

He said for purposes of equity, all 57 constituencies would be allocated an equal number of 263 participants. He added that the number would be sub divided by the number of villages per constituency.

Mr Siamisang said those about to attain the age 30 would not be given priority because for one to access their monthly salary, they should have served for at least one year. He added that those eligible for enrollment into the Back-to-School programme would also not be given priority, but would be encouraged to  go back to school. Ends