Is Back-To-School initiative a political gimmick?
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
It is interesting for the government to be taking people back to school yet it is failing to create employment opportunities. Is it wise for the government to impart skills who will remain jobless after graduation? From the look of things, the youth and idlers will be removed from streets for a short term as the back-to-school runs only till 2015.
It is a fact that the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) is not popular with the youth. So whoever came up with the initiative may have thought of this. Of course, the 2014 general elections are around the corner. If Back-To-School is a great idea, why should it take off from 2013 to 2015?
But as the conference concludes, Batswana must ask: Will this be another talk shop, or will it spark real change? The answer lies in whether every stakeholder, from the President to community leaders, transforms rhetoric into action.The President rightly highlighted that crime, especially GBV, thrives in private spaces. His call to empower churches and counsellors as early warning systems is sensible. But good ideas mean little without funding...