Just dissolve BNYC
Mmegi Editor | Friday April 24, 2015 14:45
The Act also gives the organisation’s responsibility for lobbying and advocating for development policies affecting youth as well as ‘to give advise to government on matters relating to youth development’.
This BNYC, however, has evolved into one bloody animal that has milked this country’s resources without giving back any results. This organisation has been nothing but a source of distress for civil servants, and the nation. For the four decades it has been in around, BNYC has never enjoyed stability for it to deserve to be a government-funded organisation.
In fact, even those who created it have lost confidence in it. Instead of development and grooming future leaders, this BNYC has come up with silly schemes such as Graduate Volunteer Scheme, constituency league and Youth Empower Schemes amongst others.
Of course the ruling party has for so many years allowed this organisation to remain in its current structure, or even in existence, as it seems to be the biggest beneficiary of this mess.
In the past there were other youth programmes such as Tirelo Sechaba (TS), which benefited young Batswana irrespective of their political affiliation. But it was phased out for reasons that remain a mystery to this day.
TS was one scheme that helped the youth of this country to appreciate the geographical architecture of this country, and its people, as well as understand the hardship that some of their compatriots go through on a day to day basis. The young people who went to TS came back home a responsible lot who looked at things with a different perspective.
With millions being pumped into BNYC every year, most of which funds are unaccounted for, it is our position that this thing should be overhauled and given a totally different name and mandate.
In fact it should just be dissolved. It has enriched some individuals whilst many young Batswana are swimming in a pool of poverty because there is no one to speak for them.
The latest schemes that the government has come up with are a clear indication that BNYC is no longer performing its mandate, or those who created it no longer care about what it says.
It is even disturbing that BNYC has in the past featured in reports of wrongdoing, but not a single former executive of this organisation has been brought before any court of law to answer for their wrongs.
0 It will therefore not be wrong for some people to conclude that BNYC is a training ground, and financial sponsorship for the ruling party.
Today’s thought
“We need, first of all, for there to be accountability, for there to be somebody who is responsible for enforcing standards and holding people’s feet to the fire”.
– Jennifer Granholm