The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has announced that the “cost” of NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) youth to the economy in Turkey, is 3.4 percent of the GDP, in other words 25 billion dollars. (News)
Comment:
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s “A Glimpse to Society 2016” report the percentage of Turkey’s youth that both does not work nor study is between 30 and 35, is the highest percentage of the OECD countries. According to this report 10 percent of 15-29 year olds do not work or study and has no plans or goals over their future. Unfortunately the conditions of those who are studying are not encouraging either. In 2016’s Higher education Passing Exam (YGS) 32.983 students got 0 points without even managing to answer 1 question. The number of students who could not answer 26 questions out of 160 was 484.000 and this was 25% of the students that entered the exam. These statistics, that are better than those of last year, should be enough to display the condition of the youth.
Also in the same report it is stated that one out three people in Turkey is afraid of losing his job or not going to be able to find one. When TÜİK (Statistics Institution of Turkey)’s report of unemployment is added to the equation it looks like the problems are getting bigger and that the situation is not getting better, quite the opposite it is actually getting more worse. According to TÜİK’s unemployment investigation in 2016 June, unemployment increased by 247 thousand and has become 3 million 127 thousand since last year’s June. 15-29 year old youth takes the most percentage in this. We have become a society where those who have a job, do not like their job and those who do not have a job, has no hope for the future. The problems do not end with this. Stress, depression, crises, psychological sicknesses and the like, are present on 60% of the youth that has gone into a giant dead end. And to overcome this, according to the Ministry of Health’s data, consummation of drugs has increased by 100% in the last 10 years making up to 25 packs per capita a year. If we deducted those who are not sick, no doubt we would get even higher numbers. How much can we talk about the future of a generation that has not learned/taught its purpose/perspective of life? It is sad to see the children of a society, member to a religion which its first commandment is اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ “Read in the name of thy Lord”, not studying or working.
In the section of the OECD report’s “Projection upon the Youth”, people’s trust for each other has been found 12% while the OECD average is 33%. Turkey is 34th on this from the 35 member countries. Should RasulAllah ﷺ’s «الْمُسْلِمُ مَنْ سَلِمَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ مِنْ لِسَانِهِ وَيَدِهِ» “Muslim is who you are safe/sure of his hand and tongue” hadith rule over our families, society and state, would the youth experience such problems? A society, that does not even trust its parents, tries to live life alone, dreaming about freedom; will naturally be unsuccessful, insecure and unhappy. Allah سبحانه وتعالى has revealed to us Islamic life for us to reach society’s high ideals such as the protection of human life, property, mind, generation, honour, religion and peace. Society is whole with its women and men with its youth and old, and is like the passengers on a ship like in ResulAllah ﷺ’s example. When this ship is drilled on the bottom everyone will be affected. And in order to make this ship more resilient we have to establish Khilafah Rashidah where an Islamic life can be led and Islamic society can be build. This system will bring the youth to an honourable position with an Islamic education method and will make them work both for this world and the other.
Musa Bayoğlu