BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
The Youth Service in Zimbabwe which was rebranded from the National Youth Service; should start from Primary School Level as a subject, such that young people are inculcated with the values of patriotism and responsibility right from the onset.
This was revealed by Bishop Never Muparutsa who represents the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations and Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, on the sidelines of a meeting which religious leaders had at the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training on drug and substance abuse.
Bishop Muparutsa said the Youth Service in Zimbabwe programme “is a powerful, powerful programme,” which could also help in eliminating the drug and substance abuse scourge.
Youth Service in Zimbabwe programme is for youths aged between18-35 and it ensures patriotism and empowers them for nation building through life skills training and leadership development.
“The only issue is we have 1 000 people who are starting (Youth Service in Zimbabwe) versus 5 million youths, so the proposal that I bring is that why not make it a subject from Primary to Secondary School.
“Make it one of the key subjects that our young people are developed from the very word go; to be people who value the nation.
“The values of our nation must be inculcated in our children right from Primary School up to Secondary education.
“Rather than just make it vocational issue, make it part of our training of our young people.
“So that it can actually be made one of the conditions to go into next level of education rather than do you have Mathematics, English and other subject.
“That can be one of the conditions because our young people have been trained to respect their flag, to respect their nation, to respect their ubuntu values, to respect all that.
“Then it becomes very pertinent and critical, so we were very touched and we are very excited by that,” said Bishop Muparutsa.
He added: “what we want is let’s catch them young, so that they are not by the time we try to talk to them about drugs, we have already missed a lot. So that’s basically what we think must happen.”
Chief Director in the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, Elias Murinda, said the idea is to ensure that all young people aged 18 to 35 years go through this training programme.
“So you can see that we have started with just 1 000 which is just almost nothing and therefore the Ministry of Youth might not succeed in reaching out to every young person.
“And therefore the programme will need to be mainstreamed in education, both primary, higher and tertiary in churches, religious institutions.
“We have to work together this objective in molding these young people in implementing this programme.
“And government has also said our youths whom we see that have really grasped the ideals of this programme and because of the orientation that they go through; might then not engage in drug and substance abuse.
“We strongly believe that the programme will have to reduce drug and substance abuse among young people, therefore they will be properly guided,” said Murinda.
He added that youths who go through the Youth Service in Zimbabwe will get priority or preference for enrolment in public institutions preferably they have the right qualifications that are required.
“And there are other advantages like getting access to institutions like the Police, Army, Prisons or even for those who want to further their education, so that they are better able to serve the country.
“So this is a rebranded National Youth Service training programme and we believe it will be different from the programme that we were implementing.
“And the message is we need to be working together in actually implementing the programme,” added Murinda.
While applauding the Youth Service in Zimbabwe programme, Davis Mambwe from the Zimbabwe Council of Pentecostal Churches said, those who are trained should not be seen to be violent as was associated with graduates from the former programme.
“Members from the National Youth Service were notorious for violence and people were really afraid of them because of those uniforms as some of them would terrorize even the elderly.
“So we hope with the coming in of this rebranded programme, they (youths) will be disciplined,” said Mambwe.
Minister Tino Machakaire, assured that such unruly behaviour will not be condoned as they (graduates) will be instilled with strict discipline.
