Youth Power: The Untapped Backbone of Nepal's National Development

Youth power is an invaluable asset to any nation. Young people are the pioneers of economic, social, political, and cultural transformation, and the driving force of change. With their passion, enthusiasm, knowledge, skill, courage, and ability, today's youth are fully capable of shouldering responsibility as partners in development. Their creativity, capacity to learn, and high self-confidence make this generation a national treasure, one that can be mobilized as a major force in nation-building.

In Nepal, citizens aged 16 to 40 make up 38.85% of the total population. Both qualitatively and quantitatively, youth are the backbone of the nation. Bringing them into the mainstream of national development is not optional; it is essential.

The numbers tell a sobering story. On average, one thousand youths leave Nepal every day for foreign employment. In Banke district alone, around 50 young people fill out passport forms daily. According to the 2068 BS census, household occupations in Banke break down to 51.5% in agriculture, 6.5% in trade, 6.5% in employment, 20.5% in foreign employment, and the rest in wage labor. From the perspective of a sustainable economy, these figures have shifted dramatically. How effectively has the state addressed this generation through policy and programs? What share of national income does this class actually contribute? These remain matters of research, and the answers, one suspects, are uncomfortable.

A nation's sustainable development plan cannot move forward without building a positive and capable young generation. Positive youth development depends on a youth-friendly environment and participatory development processes, from the central level down to local communities. History offers clear lessons: after political change, developed nations like South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia handed national master planning to youth leadership, and they prospered under it. In the United States, Canada, Australia, and across Europe, positive youth development is treated as a core responsibility of the state.

In contrast, a developing country like ours has lost its way in the exercise of power. With capital-centric thinking still dominating development policy, focusing on youth development in remote areas far from Kathmandu remains a genuine challenge.

In today's Nepal, the question of youth is one that goes unheard and attracts little interest from policymakers. Ironically, the very generation that plays a powerful role in the country's political, social, and economic life is neglected in matters of its own development. Lacking accountable political will, young Nepalis have become like a crow lost in the fog, forced to sell their labor in low-level jobs abroad. If the state cannot move beyond exporting labor, it should at least invest in sending skilled manpower abroad, raising both productivity and income.

The education system bears much of the blame. The state has failed to reform a curriculum built on empty theoretical knowledge into one offering accessible, practical, and technical education suited to the labor market. Technical education remains an optional subject while time and investment are wasted.

It has been five years since the National Youth Policy 2066 BS, and two years since the revised Youth Policy 2072 BS. This is the moment to implement these policies and sustain the state's efforts in the youth sector. Governments have indeed launched various youth-targeted programs, but regulatory bodies have largely turned a blind eye, even when non-youth participants fill programs meant for the young.

The message is simple: youth-friendly development must move from paper to practice. Until the nation understands this truth and acts on it, the national development campaign will continue to lag behind.