Teaching young people to shoot may not be the wisest decision

We are surprised by the youth and sports adviser's announcement that the government will launch a programme to equip young people with basic combat and self-defence skills, including the use of firearms. Teaching martial arts to young people—especially girls and women—is commendable, but we fail to understand how the decision to provide training in shooting to youth aged 18 to 35 was arrived at. Was this decided solely by the youth and sports ministry, or in consultation with other relevant ministries? Given the novelty and sensitivity of the idea, shouldn't there have been wider discussion with security experts and public engagement beforehand?

The adviser, in a BBC interview, explained that the idea behind this training was to create a "reserve force" for the purpose of mass defence. He also spoke of training young people in live-round firing, with a target of 20,000 young trainees a year. While many countries do have reserve forces of young citizens, such a decision is far too important to be taken arbitrarily. According to a report in this newspaper, the training programme is set to begin on November 8, with online registration already open. Reportedly, 8,000 applications have been submitted for the programme, which will run until February 2028. The criteria for selection include being physically and mentally fit and having at least a secondary school certificate.

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At a time when the main priorities for the youth should be acquiring marketable skills and being gainfully employed, the focus on combat training with lethal weapons does not seem appropriate or beneficial. Especially concerning is the fact that many young people—due to poverty, joblessness, and overall unrest in society—already display violent behaviour; some are even involved in criminal activities. The surge in crime by teenage gangs and violence on various campuses, often over trivial matters, is a case in point. How wise is it, then, to have a programme that will put firearms in the hands of young people? How rigorously will their mental fitness be screened?

While basic self-defence skills such as martial arts can be a way to engage and empower young people, the decision to train them in the use of firearms should not be taken with such haste.

We urge the government to reconsider the decision and confine the programme to martial arts training. In this connection, we must point out the discriminatory allocation of placements; reportedly, out of 8,850 participants in the first phase, 8,250 places are for male participants and only 600 for female participants. Given the alarming prevalence of violence against girls and women in the country, it would make more sense to provide self-defence training to more of them. That said, we must emphasise that the youth and sports ministry would do better to prioritise programmes that teach employable skills to young men and women so that they can secure decent jobs and build stable futures.