adminHatred Zenenga
The possibility of introducing compulsory national service for all youths completing their Ordinary Level studies should be viewed in positive light. It must be hard for all right-thinking citizens of Zimbabwe to find reasons not to go ahead with it. In fact, so noble is the concept of compulsory national service that the only question appears to be why was it not introduced sooner in Zimbabwe?
Compulsory national service plans were revealed by President Mugabe when he addressed people gathered in Victoria Falls last Saturday to celebrate his 91st birthday.
While national service can deliver many advantages to Zimbabwe and its youth, it also comes with some challenges. But it is generally agreed that the concept has more pros than cons.
In a nutshell, the benefits include instilling in young people qualities such as discipline, vigilance, resilience and modesty. It also teaches them skills including team work and time management.
The concept, if implemented in Zimbabwe, will not be something new to this country but follows the example of many other countries that require their young people to perform some kind of national service.
Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and the United States are cases in point.
In the UAE, for example, youths who finish secondary school will be required to do compulsory national service for nine months. The requirement is embraced by many in that country who see it as leading citizens to have a stronger sense of responsibility towards their nation.
Similar ethos are found and expressed in Botswana, the United States, South Korea and Germany, where they make no apologies over the need for greater awareness among youths to not only develop their country but also be ready to protect the nation and preserve its independence and sovereignty.
But in our beloved Zimbabwe, anything to do with protecting the country and preserving its independence and national sovereignty is politicised, becomes associated with the ruling party Zanu-PF and dismissed as not good for the country and its citizens. We need to change our mindsets.
Of equal importance is the fact that compulsory national service goes a long way in addressing other issues, such as youth unemployment. Experts discussed this effect during the World Economic Forum last year, suggesting that such a move would help to change the mindset of young people who are unwilling to consider taking just any job.
This is succinctly underlined by Middle East political scientist Abdulkhaleq Abdulla who has this to say about compulsory national service:
“Countries have to work very hard on how to change the perception of their youth. Governments have to draft them into national service before they go into the job market . . . to give them resilience, to teach them how to be modest, how to work, how to take the ladder step by step until they reach what they want.”
There are other benefits, too, to compulsory national service. It promotes unity and solidarity as well as a healthy lifestyle that would be the best way to eradicate national obesity levels that cause more youths to suffer from acquired diabetes, the one brought about by unhealthy lifestyle choices.
However, compulsory national service will face one big challenge of cynic perception from both parents and youths, who will view it as politically motivated and modelled on the Border Gezi College concept, which received unfavourable publicity and was wrongly associated with youth violence.
The Government will have a mammoth task of dispelling all such perceptions.
Yet, for all challenges, compulsory national service will bring many benefits, top among them being strengthening national identity. It should be welcomed.
Online Reporter