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Momodou
Denmark
11804 Posts |
 Posted - 15 Feb 2010 : 13:35:44
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Back-Way Journey Not an Attempt to Commit Suicide
By Saihou Jammeh
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youths and Sports Mr. Mambanyick Njie has argued that illegal migration, mostly undertaken by youths via the deadly high seas to the West should not be seen as an attempt to commit suicide.
Mr. Njie rose to make this argument on Thursday before the joint session of the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly after some Committee members lamented on the awful condition of most Gambian youths, particularly school drop-outs and the unschooled.
According to him, national policies and programs focused only on youths who have gone to school, neglecting others who either drop-out of school or have not acquired formal education. "How about those youths sitting at the ghettos," he pointed out; "most of them embark on the rough journey to Europe because they believe their future is threatened where they are".
Njie continued: "Each of those youths who go on the back-way journey to Europe have dreams they want to achieve. If they loose hopes back home and risked [their lives] to go to the West, we should not see them as people who are attempting suicide."
Mambanyick Njie argued further that illegal migration should not infact be viewed as a major problem of Gambian youths. "We are faced with a bigger problem and that is internal migration," he said. "The throngs of youths here in the urban centers flee from the provinces."
He said there should be branch of National Youth Service Scheme at every region across the country because NYSS at Bakau does not have the capacity to absorb majority of the youths that need training.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of NYSS, Musa Mbye said they have introduced apprenticeship training designed for youths who have not gone to school and school drop-outs.
Mbye said however that the project has phased-out, noting that findings of the impact assessment survey they conducted shows it has more effect than their normal trainings.
He bemoaned the lack of funds to continue on with the project, saying funding for youth projects is a great problem.
He said there is a need to review their training policy to comprehensively address the employment needs of the Gambian people, also calling on the government to increase their subvention to be able strengthen the capacity.
Meanwhile, the institution’s annual activity and audit report as well as the management letter were adopted by the Committee.
Source: Dailynews
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