by Dumisani Khumalo, Zimbabwe, January 1998
THEME = EDUCATION
Escalating unemployment among young people is the biggest
challenge
facing countries of the Southern African Development Community region
Unemployment is presently estimated to be between 25% and 45% in Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. (Statistics from the Central Statistical Office, 1996). As far as Zimbabwe is concerned, young people in the 15-25 year age group, account for 61% of the nation's unemployed population. Only a fraction of the 300,000 school leavers are absorbed by the labour market.
Both the public and private sectors of the economy, overlooked important factors during the first stage of Zimbabwe's economic reforms. This was characterized by a retrenchment of workers, as the various sectors of industry aimed at rationalising their operations. The lower echelons of workers were the first to be targeted. Most of the unskilled workers who found themselves out of a job, ended up on the streets. True, the Ministry of Labour, Manpower Planning and Social Welfare did try to soften the blow by organising re-training programmes, but the first five-day courses on "how to run your own business" were not comprehensive enough for any of these young people to acquire managerial skills.
It's clear that the first to have been dismissed should have been workers in middle to top management positions, as they already possessed the necessary skills and experience to set themselves up in another operations.
Perhaps the best long-term solution to the problem of youth unemployment within a given region, would be to introduce an educational system throughout the region that meets the demands of the labour market within that region.
With this in mind, the SADC countries have signed a Protocol which seeks to standardize the education system throughout the region.
The Protocol was signed during the SADC Summit held in Malawi, in September 1997, and provides a policy framework that "allows the SADC region to progressively move towards equivalence, harmonisation and standardisation of member states' education and training systems". Areas of cooperation will cover the development and formulation of coherent education and training policies, basic education, intermediate education as well as publishing and library services to help in the drive towards a common education system. The Protocol also outlines possible improvements in the quality and cost-effectiveness of programmes for post-graduate training and more specialised training within the region. All this must take into account the possibility of students being able to move from one country to another during the course of their training, whenever necessary.
Major constraints towards such a standardisation programme in SADC countries include: limited training places available; shortage of teaching staff; poor infrastructure; lack of teaching materials (shortage of books, furniture etc); inappropriate curricula. The situation is somewhat better in urban areas; rural schools are at a disadvantage.
But a start has been made. A number of educational projects to harmonise, rationalise and strengthen the various education systems have already got off the ground. The SADC Human Resources Development sector has already secured funds to undertake feasibility studies in the area of inter-regional skills, development and the establishment of a Scholarship Fund, plus a Training Awards Programme.
It should be noted that even before the Protocol was signed, a certain degree of cooperation in the education field already existed among SADC countries, and this is continuing. In 1996, the Southern African Regional Institute for Policy Studies, based in Harare, Zimbabwe, launched a Degree Programme to promote learning through a multi-disciplinary curriculum. Students from Eastern and Southern Africa are enroled in this Programme which is a joint training initiative undertaken by universities of the SADC region.
A major effort has also been made to invite back highly skilled Africans who are presently working abroad, so that they can make a positive contribution to the region's development. In the past, such people have not been encouraged to return, because of the poor salaries and working conditions awaiting them. Also the uncertainties of individual country's political situations.
Standardising the education and training systems in Southern Africa to meet the requirements of the labour market in that region, is in line with the SADC's call for increased productivity which is key to sustainable development.
END
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