Challenges Facing Youth in Lebanon

 

Youth from early childhood to early adulthood (5-24 years) constitutes close to 40 % of the population of Lebanon . The major problems youth are confronted with are: lack of adequate education and employment, exposure to risky behaviors, and lack
of participation in decision-making. Contributing factors to these problems are: lack of provision of opportunities for life skills development for out-of-school youth and absence of a plan that identifies the skill and specialization
needs of the labor market in the middle or long term.

Youth and Education

There is great disparity between the quality of public and private education in Lebanon since the government does not provide adequate resources to public schools. With a primary school enrollment rate of over 95%, there is no problem in access to education. Rather, the problem youth are facing is one of quality. Numbers for the academic year 1998-1999 (Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sports) show that the percentage of students repeating their school year was highest in the public sector with 59.9% as compared to 28.1% in the private sector. The percentages of failure were highest in the public sector with 27.8% for the elementary level and 25.7% for the middle school level, as compared to only 4.7 % for the elementary level and 7.2% for the middle school level in the private sector.

Youth and Employment

Youth in Lebanon constituted 31% of the population of working age and 21% of the labor force in 1996 (Ministry of Social Affairs and UNFPA). The unemployment rate for youth is higher than the overall national rate, at 24.1% versus 11.5% respectively. There is a gender bias in unemployment since 34% of young women are unemployed versus 20.5% of young men.

An interesting fact is that, for the 20-25 age bracket, unemployment is higher for those who are more educated: 27% for those with university degrees and 14.8% for those with an elementary school degree. Yet, almost one third of employers reported a shortage in the number of employees needed, while 21% of them complained about the unavailability of qualified and skilled labourers. It is clear that unemployed youth are unaware of potential job opportunities and thus, their knowledge and skills do not correspond to the needs of the Lebanese job market.

Youth and Public Participation

Youth participation in political life remains restricted, which is evident in the parliamentary rejection in 2000 of a law reducing the voting age from 21 to 18 years old. Schools and universities do not fulfill their role as primary vehicles of youth public participation; education systems have also generally failed in imparting the values necessary for development of skills required for building and participating in modern democratic societies and ensuring good governance. Life skills education in schools (such as inter-generational relations, communication skills, team work, and participation in community life), is also limited.

Children and youth generally are more receptive to new ideas and are more innovative. In the context of a knowledge-based society characterized by rapidly changing information and communication technologies, they are often more skilled than adults and more open to change. These potentials often remain untapped. From this perspective, youth are potential assets for economic and social development.

The RMF has been attempting to answer the needs of Lebanese youth with the creation, in 2001, of the Youth Community Center in Mejdlaya, North Lebanon, which serves as a hub for numerous activities such as trainings, seminars, and workshops. It has also created numerous environmental clubs in schools and a student club to bring youth together for recreational activities and summer camp. In addition, RMF's democracy and human rights activities have focused on youth, as they are the makers of the future.