Its president Izzat Afifi Abdul Hamid said opportunities need to be created for them across a wide range of industries, including tech, academia and trades.
“Rebounding from the pandemic has been challenging for all young people,” he told FMT.
“Support from the government in various aspects of life, be it job creation, education or internet connectivity, and fair and equal opportunities across regions should be among the budget’s focuses.”
On job creation, Izzat hopes that higher quality, “future-proof” jobs will be created for young people, particularly in tech.
As for improving the education system, the youth leader said that the way the syllabus is taught plays a big role in future-proofing the skill sets of children.
“We need to start teaching our young people about technology through digital (educational) materials from as young as possible,” said Izzat.
Meanwhile, on ensuring that fair and equal opportunities are created for youths across regions, Izzat said Putrajaya needs to do away with prejudices when empowering young people as they are all valuable assets.
“Whether they’re from rural areas, urban areas or deep in the Sarawak and Sabah heartlands, all youth are similar. The focus should be put on developing their capacities equally.”
Health and unity on the agenda
Izzat hopes the annual budget would fund more intervention programmes for youths struggling with their mental health issues, obesity and vape addiction.
Meanwhile, co-founder of youth group Undi-18 Tharma Pillai called for increased funding for voter education and deradicalisation programmes.
“These interventions need to be made to increase national unity. There are some programmes under the national unity ministry but more needs to be done,” he said.
Speedier action
Izzat said the government’s attempts to promote development had been hampered by decentralised allocations and different ministries having their own priorities when it comes to youth issues.
To resolve the problem, Izzat suggested increasing the frequency of existing youth special committee meetings to allow for issues to be addressed more quickly.