The National Youth Development Agency welcomes the proposal by Defence and Military Veterans Minister Lindiwe Sisulu to introduce a national service for young people in the military and further calls on other government departments to follow suit.
"We view the Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans as very well placed to undertake such an exercise at a massive scale considering the facilities at their disposal including their training bases that can be used to accommodate young people while they undergo various service training," says NYDA Chief Executive Officer Steven Ngubeni.
The NYDA implements the National Youth Service (NYS) as a programme that supports community and national development whilst simultaneously providing an opportunity for young people to skills development, employment and ultimately income generation in the medium to long term.
The proposal by the Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans speaks directly to the targets the NYDA had identified following its establishment. When adopting its key priority areas the NYDA identified the National Youth Service as a key component towards the development of young South Africans.
"Youth service must be applied in different forms to achieve a wide range of objectives. Service by young people to the country in itself provides a sense of patriotism, a sense of belonging and instils high levels of discipline and love for ones country.
"We are equally impressed by the introduction of the Legal Practice Bill by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Jeff Radebe which will see impoverished persons accessing free legal services through legal practitioners who will set aside certain minimum hours to provide free services to the community.
"For some time, the NYDA has been calling for graduates to provide service to enhance their qualification and employability chances. We have also piloted this at some universities including Rhodes where a number of graduates were volunteering their time by teaching Maths and Science to high school learners from townships around Grahamstown," says Ngubeni.
Since the adoption of the NYS programme by Cabinet in 2005, over 170 000 young people have been enrolled on the programme at different categories.
"The numbers clearly illustrate that young people are keen to serve their country and in turn acquire the necessary skills. We just need to upscale the programme. We are therefore planning to meet with the Secretary of Defence and Director-General at the Justice and Constitutional Development department soon to unpack the proposals and to provide our support," concludes Ngubeni.
Issued by: National Youth Development Agency
12 May 2010
Source: National Youth Development Agency (http://www.nyda.gov.za/)
