Music of Hypocrisy

Pupils in a community school at Linda Compund

There is so much talk about youth empowerment and what youths can do once they leave school. The emphasis is so much on youth entrepreneurship as a way to go in the absence of white collar employment opportunities. While I am not against this approach to dealing with some of the challenges facing young people, I have a few observations to make.

This call is “music of hypocrisy” to borrow from Pope Francis’ words in today’s homily. This murmuring often coming from political leaders and international organizations is not a voice of reason. Why are you pushing young people to grasp business opportunities when you are running away from your own business empires to join government? You have failed to sustain and grow your businesses despite all the expertise that you have acquired through your long service, yet you want young people some of whom have dropped out of school to go straight into businesses. How is this possible when they don’t have even the most basic knowledge of running businesses or simple accounting? More so they don’t have capital for start up or collateral to present to banks when they want to borrow money. You have all these yourselves, why can’t you show by example?

What do young people need to succeed in employment or businesses? They need to be provided with an education that will give them skills to make better choices and improve their lives and those of their children. The current education system is a divisive tool that allows sons and daughters of the poor to remain in abject poverty. In order to get the best education in this country you need to have the money and connections. Unfortunately, a poor man does not possess both. A well structured education system that offers skills as opposed to theories opens more opportunities for young people to be self-employed and acquire employable skills.

You have the power to put in place a better education system that will make every child of this land enjoy the fruits of life to the full. Once you have improved the system your children will also be compelled to go to the same local schools in retain you will also serve the millions you spend on your children’s education abroad. As I conclude, I will leave you with my own observation for which you have every right to agree or disagree with me. 

The biggest illness that is afflicting this country is the lack of empathy. If only you could spend time to think and ask yourself this question. What about if that son or daughter who goes to a community school and sits on the log while learning was mine, how was I going to feel? These are questions we must always ask ourselves.