Pakistan’s youths are losing confidence in the future and a mere 15 per cent believe that the country is heading in the right direction, while 72 per cent feel economically worse off than a year ago. Only 10 per cent expect an improvement in the near future. The political parties in the country have a lot to be ashamed about given that only one third of the youth believes that democracy is the best form of governance. Pakistan’s political class is generally viewed as ‘selfish and corrupt’. In contrast to this, 60 per cent expressed confidence in the armed forces.
This is even more disheartening when coupled with the widespread detachment from the political process: A mere two per cent are members of a political party, while only 39 per cent voted in the last election. In fact, half are not on the voters’ list. This does not bode well for the future of the political system, and hence for Pakistan itself.
These and other similarly ominous findings were established in a comprehensive and exhaustive nation-wide survey carried out recently by the British Council in Pakistan.
While only 15 per cent of the youth in Pakistan believe that the country is heading in the right direction, it also establishes that “the next generation loves Pakistan, despite the country’s failings. It is also civic minded, with nearly half believing education’s primary purpose is to learn to be a good citizen or to gain a broad understanding of the world.”
The demographic boom in Pakistan is best encapsulated by the projection that there will be a rise of 85 million people in the next 20 years, which, as the report would put it, is ‘equivalent to five cities the size of Karachi’. This increase of 44 per cent is double of the world’s average.
Great emphasis is laid on the youth of the country given that “half its citizens are under twenty; two thirds have yet to reach their thirtieth birthday”. The age group of the study population was 18-29, out of which one-forth of the respondents had “never attended an education institution”. It is of note that for girls and rural respondents, this proportion rose to over one-third, while half of Balochistan’s youth had no education at all.
The young demographic make-up of Pakistan is, on the other hand, also viewed as a potential positive for the country. “With so many young adults, Pakistan has a window during which it can achieve a massive surge in its development, creating wealth that can be reinvested for the future.” It is shown that 92 per cent of the respondents viewed education as the way out of Pakistan’s troubles. However, the report warns that the time to act on this is now. “The window of opportunity will close around 2045, by which time the society will be ageing rapidly. During this period, therefore, investment in the next generation will have a huge impact on Pakistan’s long term prospects.”
Source: TheNews
