Malaysian youth need skills, not handouts alone, says Yeoh

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has to adopt a balanced approach that incorporates skills development and cash assistance for the country’s youth, says Hannah Yeoh.

The Youth and Sports Minister said it was important to equip the youth with skills and give them the ability to provide for themselves for life.

However, she acknowledged the need for targeted cash assistance due to the diverse challenges faced by today’s youth.

“Cash handouts are still needed because there are youth with different needs,” she said, adding that it was crucial to find the right balance.

Giving the example of the Kelantan Rakan Muda programme, she said imparting skills such as car polishing has enabled youth to earn a sustainable income by providing door-to-door services.

Yeoh said this when attending the Malaysian Red Crescent Society Youth Carnival “In Conversation” session here on Saturday (Aug 19).

On another matter, she said over 500 children drown every year, according to police records with most drownings occurring during school holidays.

“This alarming statistic underscores the urgency of providing essential swimming skills to mitigate such tragedies,” she said.

She said the lack of access to swimming pools was a significant factor in teaching children how to swim.

“This created a societal gap – wealthy individuals residing in apartments have access to swimming pools while children from impoverished families are more susceptible to drowning.

“To address this issue, we decided to allocate funding to provide swimming lessons for B40 children,” she said.

The Basic Sports Training Skills Programme (KLAS Renang) initiated in May was conducted in nine states, with over 700 individuals completing the course.

Yeoh also said that enrolment for Phase 2 courses was underway.