Millennium Development Goals and Young People in Sri Lanka

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Young People in Sri Lanka

Chatura Rodrigo, Research Economist, IPS

Outline

Background

Millennium Development Goals for youth

Institutional setup and policy context

Achievement of youth MDGs Productive employment for youth Education for youth Healthy youth for development Gender equality and empowering young women Youth and environment Infrastructure and ICT for youth

Challenges and way forward

BackgroundYouth are an important asset in realizing a country’s

development aspirations

Youth demand better and quality employments, better education and skills training, better health, better living conditions, improved infrastructures and ICT facilities

A monitoring and evaluation framework is essential to have youth development efforts on track and Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs) is one of the best frameworks

Millennium Development Goals for youth

• Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

• Achieve Universal Primary Education

• Promote Gender Equity and Empower Women

• Reduce Child Mortality• Improve Maternal Health• Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria

and Other Diseases• Ensure Environmental

Sustainability• Develop a Global

Partnership for Development

Conventional MDGs

• Productive employment for youth

• Education for youth• Healthy youth for

development• Gender equality and

empowering young women

• Youth and environment• Infrastructure and ICT

for youth

Youth MDGs

Customizing to Sri Lankan

youth

Institutional setup and policy context: some important milestonesA National Youth Services Council (NYSC) has been in existence since 1969and was strengthened through the National Youth Services Act 69 of 1979.

A Ministry of Youth was also established in 1979, and a Presidential Commission on Youth was appointed in 1989

The government also launched the “Tharuna Aruna” programme in 1997 to provide subsidy to private sector to hire graduate among other things. A National Youth Corps was established in 2003.

Today, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development (MYASD) is leading the youth development initiatives with the support of 17 affiliated institutions.

MYASD was successful in initiating the second term of the Sri Lanka youth parliament and the Sri Lanka Youth policy passed the draft stage and waiting to be approved by the cabinet

Achievement of youth MDGs: Productive employment for youth

14%

15%

11%

15%

12%

18%

13%

17%

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0%

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

2006 2010

Youth unemployment rates

Source: State of the Economy, Institute of Policy Studies, 2013

Achievement of youth MDGs: Productive employment for youthYouth labour force participation rates

41%

44%

53%

44%

47%

51%

64%

51%

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

2006 2010


Achievement of youth MDGs: Productive employment for youth

5.13%

9.49%

10.74%

8.92%

6.73%

15.09%

29.41%

14.63%

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00%

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

2006 2010

Youth below official poverty line


Achievement of youth MDGs: Education for youth

2003 2010

Number sitting for O/L 434,131 433,673

Percentage qualifying for A/L

(% of O/L candidates)

43 58

Number sitting for A/L 213,201 233,354

Number qualifying to enter university 93,292 142,415

Percentage qualifying to enter university

(% of A/L candidates)

44 61

Number admitted to university 12,736 21,547

Percentage admitted to university

(% of A/L qualified)

14 17

O/L, A/L and university entrance


The Country’s tertiary enrolment rate is low. Many students discontinue school education or do not qualify for university education due to poor performance at the national level examinations

Achievement of youth MDGs: Education for youth

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Dental ScienceFasion design/Transport & logistic…

Veterinary MedicineArchitecture & Quantity Surveying

LawIndegenious medicinePara‐medical studies

AgricultureComputer Science/IT

MedicineEngineering

Management & commerceScience

Arts

Subject streams ay University levels

Source: Youth and development, Institute of Policy Studies, 2013

Those who do attend university are mostly studying in the arts stream thus limiting the social capital on science and technology, this also constrains the youth’s ability to innovate

Achievement of youth MDGs: Education for youthThere is a wide gap between school and the world of work. The quality of the general education system, mainly provided by the public sector is very high standard, yet sometimes, does not transmit much productive skills to pupils. Hence leads to the issue of skills mismatch.

Transition from school to vocational training is sometimes not smooth due to lack of information flow. However, Vocational Training Authority (VTA) is now has launched a island wide awareness programme

Earlier the acceptance of the TEVT sector was low. Government recently introduced TVET education in to general education system making it a populat choice of students


Achievement of youth MDGs: Healthy youth for development

Highest proportion of malnourished women was observed in the youngest age group of 15-19 years (40 per cent), followed by the second lowest age group of 20-29 (22 per cent). Nearly one-third of female youth were anaemic. On average, 39 per cent of reproductive aged women (15-49 years) were identified as anemic.

There were 6.4 per cent teenage pregnancies in Sri Lanka. Teenage pregnancies were highest in the estate sector (9.6 per cent) when compared to urban and rural sectors.

Highest prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use was in the age category of 25-39 years. Of current smokers and alcohol users’ in the age 15-24 year group. Deaths due to suicides was highest among females in the 21-30 year age group


Achievement of youth MDGs: gender equality and empowering young women

Equal education

• A/L Stream (M, S and Arts)• Admission to university

(2010: 605, 2006: 54%)• Admission to vocational

training (Increased , majority male)

Female labour force

• Labour force participation (Female: 30%, high estate)

• Women at wage employment (35%, 1% increase)

• Women in managerial positions (1.5%, doubled from 2006)

Women leadership

• Women entrepreneurships (<10%)

• Political participation (<6%)


Achievement of youth MDGs: youth and environment

93

92

85

92

92

92

77

91

7

8

15

8

8

8

23

9

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

2010

2006

Secured houses

Unsecured houses

Youth living under secure housing


Safe housingChange from 2006-2010

National: 91 to 92%Urban: 92 to 93%Rural: 92%Estate: 77 to 85%

Achievement of youth MDGs: youth and environment

97

94

97

93

91

93

96

93

3

6

3

7

9

7

4

7

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

2010

2006

Secure sanitation

Unsecure sanitation

Youth having access to secure sanitation


Secure sanitationChange from 2006-2010

National: 93%Urban: 91 to 97%Rural: 93 to 94%Estate: 96 to 97%

Achievement of youth MDGs: youth and environmentYouth having access to safe drinking water

92

95

73

94

87

84

68

83

8

5

27

6

13

16

32

17

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

2010

2006

Protected

Unprotected

Safe drinking waterChange from 2006-2010

National: 83 to 94%Urban: 87 to 92%Rural: 84 to 95%Estate: 68 to 73%


Achievement of youth MDGs: Infrastructure and ICT for youth

94

94

90

94

94

88

90

89

6

6

10

6

6

12

10

11

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

2010

2006

Yes

No

Electricity provision for youth

ElectricityChange from 2006-2010

National: 89 to 94%Urban: 94%Rural: 88 to 94%Estate: 90%


Achievement of youth MDGs: Infrastructure and ICT for youthMobile phones for youth

65

61

63

61

33

26

19

27

35

39

37

39

67

74

81

73

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

2010

2006

Have

Have not

Mobile phoneChange from 2006-2010

National: 27 to 61%Urban: 33 to 65%Rural: 26 to 61%Estate: 19 to 63%


Achievement of youth MDGs: Infrastructure and ICT for youth

11

9

16

10

7

5

3

5

89

91

84

90

93

95

97

95

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

Urban

Rural

Estate

National

2010

2006

Have

Have not

Desktop computers for youth


ComputersChange from 2006-2010

National: 5 to10%Urban: 7 to11%Rural: 5 to 9%Estate: 3 to 16%

Challenges and way forwardThere are issues of skill mismatch, youth foregoing available private sector employment for public sector employment, and more youth staying on in education till late stages of their youth life. Youth need to focus on making better decisions in selecting their educational paths and they needed to be guided by teachers and parents

Spending more years studying lowers the youth labor force participation rate. Youth have to be certain of what they are acquiring as educational qualifications, and whether that is what employers are demanding in today’s job market.

Inability to secure finances, lack of financial management capabilities, and most importantly, the inability to assess and understand business viability, has constrained youth entrepreneurs. Therefore guidance , financial support as well as training on business management is very essential

Challenges and way forward Poor and vulnerable households lack the capacity to spend on education and health, aggravating the physical abilities of poor youth to be work force ready. Therefore, poverty alleviation programme should focus on financial assistance, as well as on eradicating educational and heath barriers faced by the youth.

Vocational education will only address the issue of youth unemployment and low labour force participation only if the vocational education system is linked with the industries that can absorb these students. Therefore, public-private partnerships and schemes of recruitments through vocational education and training institutes directly to the industry, are essential.

Teenage pregnancy, especially in the estate sector, is a serious issue to be considered. One of the main reasons is a lack of awareness on reproductive health. Not only this, youth need to be aware on HIV/AIDS and STDs, and also use of tobacco and alcohol. They needed to be guided on handling pressure and making better and informed decisions on their lives and day to day activities.

Thank You

Documents

Millennium Development Goals and Young People in Sri Lanka