ROCK and roll icon, Kurt Cobain, hailed as the voice of his generation, once said: “It is the duty of youth to challenge corruption.” Indeed, young people who can take a fresh look at old systems are best placed to challenge ways of doing things that have fallen short of lofty goals.

But what is also so critical about the perspective of youth is that looking at problems with fresh eyes can also yield new and bold suggestions. Young people have a duty to put forward innovations to help solve our country’s development challenges. One current issue that illustrates this very well is the student protest about increased administrative fees at the University of Guyana.

Anyone who has been following student issues at the University knows that almost every year there is an uproar about some sort of fee or tuition increase, and that these range from a few thousands to tens of thousands of dollars students must pay out of pocket.
Tuesday, 6th February 2017, the University of Guyana Students’ Society held a meeting to discuss the latest fee increase and students expressed frustration at this continuing trend. Former heads and senior members of that organisation were present in a show of solidarity, but this also reinforced the idea that the tensions around fees have continued over many years.

But another way of looking at this seemingly endless issue is that there is room for and really a desperate need for new ideas. The old politics of administration versus students is leaving neither party satisfied or at least bringing them together in the spirit of hope for a brighter future for the University. Instead, old patterns of approaching the problem are reinforcing old tensions. It is in coming up with real innovations that students can offer so much to the University and really the entire national development project. Students should not undervalue their ability to contribute ideas and do their best to train those fresh eyes on new solutions for multiple problems.

Innovations young people take for granted, like utilising online communication wherever possible instead of physically meeting, can go a long way to resolving classic problems educational institutions face as they grow and begin to run out of space. WhatsApp groups to help keep in close touch with lecturers can also improve communication about testing or syllabi, and again are an example of technological tools taken for granted.

The older generations have an important role in guiding institutions throughout Guyana as young people develop and grow. But while they are growing more and more technologically savvy, it is perhaps too much to realistically expect these older generations to be able to come up with many of the types of solutions that are second nature to our youth.

We also need to support youth so that their ideas are implemented, but that requires many more conversations. Rather, it is at least key that young people see how valuable they are to our society. Instead of being spectators to processes or even participating in antiquated ones, they should give themselves the freedom to express the solutions that come to mind.

Maybe most of them won’t get taken up by senior members of society, but it’s always better to express an idea than to keep it to yourself in an environment where we are looking for progress. Let us, young and old, encourage the development and expression of new ideas.