To avoid radicalisation, govt must support youth with Edu, jobs: experts

BENGALURU: To avoid youth from going astray and getting radicalised, governments across different countries must ensure that they are educated enough to be self-employed, said Md Abu Taher, Assistant Professor, Department of World Religions and Culture, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
He was one of the speakers at a one-day International Webinar on ‘Tolerance: An Ingredient for Peaceful Co-existence' organised by Seshadripuram College, through its Rotaract Club and Ambedkar Study Centre, along with United Religions Initiative (URI) and Indian Foundation for Global Peace Education (IFGPE), on Friday.
Taher went on to elaborate that governments' action is even more important in countries with high unemployment rates. He stressed on the importance of teaching the youth important skills like—carpentry, shorthand, typing and other programmes such as nutrition and literacy.
The Keynote speaker of the event, Ramon Magsaysay awardee A T Ariyaratne, Founder and President, Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, Sri Lanka asked youngsters to start early if they wish to make a change in the world and not to wait for qualification to serve the community.
Addressing the audience, which was mostly comprised of young college students, experts called for brotherhood and morals, instead of only focusing on accumulating degrees.
M D Thomas, Founder Chairman and Director, Institute of Harmony and Peace Studies, New Delhi stressed on the need to revamp our education and faith to inculcate a spirit of togetherness. “Tolerance is an attitude to treat others how one wishes to be treated by others. Unfortunately, education today has become more about enabling us to become employable and less about morals and values.”