02 Mar 2017

Assistant Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Mr Kefentse Mzwinila says government has come up with various programmes to empower the youth.

Addressing the youth during the Month of Youth Against Aids (MYAA) dialogue in Palapye on March 1, Mr Mzwinila said however, it is the young people themselves who are responsibile for their lives and future.

 He said government had come up with various programmes and initiatives to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic, but empowerment required a sense of responsibility from those being empowered.

“We as government can do all we can, but the youth need to know that it is upon them to change their lives,” he said.

He said through programmes such as the Youth Development Fund and tertiary education as well as basic life skills training, government continued to empower youth and it was upon them to use the skills imparted to change their lives and contribute to the development of the country.

Mr Mzwinila concurred with the youth that there should be parental empowerment, a key issue that the nation was grappling with.

Child development, he said required three stakeholders, a child, parents and teachers.

He said it was worrisome that academic results were not at a level commensurate with funds that government allocated the education sector.

Government, he said, gave education priority over other sectors, but the academic results said otherwise.

He said there were parents who failed to take responsibility of their children’s welfare, leaving it to government.

Mr Mzwinila said government was unable to construct youth-friendly clinics due to financial constraints.

Although he considered the clinics a good initiative, he said implementation would be difficult considering the economic outlook of the country, noting, ‘it will not be feasible in the near the future’.

He however said government was looking into coming up with more income-generating projects, some of which proposed projects included toll gates, increasing taxes and cost sharing.

The youth representative, Mr Keleabetswe Seepi had proposed that government should empower parents and establish youth-friendly clinics.

For his part, Palapye Administrative Authority chairperson, Mr Lesedi Phuthego said HIV/AIDS remained a threat and challenge to young people and the economy.

He said government had done its best by coming up with good programmes to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic, but it was worrisome that new infections continued to manifest among young people, which he said showed that condom use among the youth was no longer a priority. ENDS