Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 189650,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/189650/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 158,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Lesrima",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister, Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 178,
        "legal_name": "Simon Saimanga Lesirma",
        "slug": "simon-lesirma"
    },
    "content": " Mr. Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Vote of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The youth constitute a very important segment of our population. When we talk about Vision 2030, we are basically talking about setting up a foundation, and that foundation relies on the youth of this country. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Vision 2030 relies on three pillars, the social pillar, the economic pillar and the political pillar. If we do not attend to the needs of our youth today, then the pillar that will support the Vision 2030 will be very weak. We need to strengthen the education of our youth and empower them. I must congratulate the Ministry for coming up with a youth policy in the last Parliament. I urge the Ministry to take some time and spend some resources to disseminate the content of that policy to us, as Parliamentarians, to the youth and to the nation at large. It is out of that policy that we will be able to come up with strategies to support the youth of this country. It is rather sad that only about 1 per cent of the Budget is allocated to this very important sector. Let me say that even with this little allocation, with goodwill and hard work on the part of the officials and the Minister to drive the youth agenda, a lot can be achieved. Mr. Speaker, Sir, you require some institutions to be looked into when talking about the implementation of the youth agenda. I want to say that it is important that we have polytechnics all over the country. It is important that we have polytechnics also in the constituencies. During the last Parliament, there was a requirement that we set aside funds from the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) for such projects. I felt that we were rather ambushed at that time. Funds should be disbursed for setting up of polytechnics in every constituency without any conditionalities from the Ministry."
}