This article has been created since people will be reading about such stuff on the occasion of International Youth Day and we might as well try to put a different sort of spin on it.
If you prefer to read, go to the next paragraph. In case you prefer visual information, scroll down to the end and you will see an infographic we tried to make to summarize the numbers.
The International Youth Day is celebrated on 12th of August every year. The UN General Assembly designated this day as the International Youth Day to celebrate the role of youth in promoting human rights and development as well as raise awareness of the challenges and hardships faced by the demographic in different parts of the world. And if you are a cognizant member of the youth brigade or slightly older, you will know, the time right now is the critical point for something like this.
Back to topic.
The theme of the 2019 International Youth Day is Transforming Education (long way to go but why not).
Youth make up a large portion of the population of India (at a whopping 242 million!)
Fact check: Did you know that India has the largest number of 10 to 24-years old citizens in the world? We did not until we wrote this and the writer is 10-24 years old!
In the wake of the upcoming International Youth Day, here are some interesting facts about the youth in India:
#ek
42.6% of young Indians are still either unemployed or working yet living in poverty. This showcases a sad state of affairs since India is deemed to have the potential to be a superpower in the future. What do you think you should do to correct these skewed numbers? Because you can.
#doosra
41.5% of the Indian youth want to be happy and 30% want to be rich. Priorities, right? What would you want: happiness or wealth, if you could have one or the other?
#teen
70% of young Indians spend 70% of their mobile internet data surfing social media (we are sure this is at least 70% correct). Considering the state of unemployment, it is a sheer waste of time but so agreeable and fun. The pontificating adult in us may say: shouldn’t they be honing their skills to become employable or start a venture independently to build a business and employ others? But where is the fun in that?
#four
Young India sticks to the web either for work or for entertainment. Data shows that 76% of internet users are under the age of 35. Based on pure numbers, we may be binge-watching shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime or making Insta videos.
#Pandav ka number
23% of Indian students want to be doctors, 23% engineers (software engineering is the top choice – sad state of affairs?). The age old legacy of honourable professions remains the same – doctor or engineer – even though 12-year old kids around the world are running successful YouTube channels, starting businesses and volunteering for social causes.
#and it is a six!
Did you know when it comes to tuition, 74% of students choose to take classes for Mathematics, followed by Physics (64%) and Chemistry (62%)?
Question: is this because other subjects are easy for us?
It is again Indian students who take the maximum number of tutorial classes online. Maybe teachers are to blame for not teaching properly in school or college and forcing students to enrol for coaching classes? Or are the parents to blame for forcing their expectations and dreams on the shoulders of their children? (Remember, we can still blame the elders when we are young until we become an elder one day!)
#Billa number saat
With an appetite to learn more, 31.8% of students enrol themselves in some kind of online courses that are not a part of their school or college syllabus. This is impressive. Finally, some good news. Talent and intelligence are not enough – it is essential to hone the right skills. But you should ensure you have enough snacks to cover any hunger pangs you may feel while pursuing a course.
#Octagon ka favourite number
One of the positive qualities that Indian youth possess is that 99% of them do not feel the need to show off by buying expensive brands. Truly humble we are. On the flip side, this is probably why videos on flea market hauls do so well on YouTube!
#Final number nau (Ees ke baad hum nau, das, gyarah…)
We are not that good at sports. Although 72% of the school children are involved in extracurricular activities, very few of them actually participate in sports. But if you consider our participation as spectators, you will notice that we may beat the world here – especially as cricket fans.
On a serious note (seriously!), this affects our health and fitness levels since we live a sedentary lifestyle from a very young age. Essentially what we do all day is sit for long hours at school or college, coaching centres and then while studying at home. This is not to mention the important time taken to scroll through the internet or watch Netflix and maybe TV.
Final gyan
Undoubtedly, the youth have the potential to shape the world. But problems from suffocating poverty, lack of resources, education, patriarchal norms and more still rule and will continue to affect us until we choose differently.
Empowerment through education can bring positive change to the lives of young people and release them from the grip of poverty. In a message about International Youth Day, Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO writes, “Young people are not only future, they are present.”
No need to say that the current young generation is the most connected, most outspoken, and the most open-minded generation the world has ever seen (drumroll and trumpets, please).
We just hope that we realise our potential and put it to good use. We need to create a present that our future selves will look back on with pride.
Fingers crossed.
Infographic on Youth Stats for International Youth Day 2019
The promised infographic
We hope you enjoyed this. Let us know what problems you face and we will write something interesting about that. Have a wonderful day.