YOUNG people want more than consultations and promise, they want tangible opportunities, stronger support to cope with the rising cost of living and clear pathways into employment, according to Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS) board member Vipin Maharaj.
Speaking in an interview on The Fiji Times’ online portal The Lens@177, Mr Maharaj said while Government had invested in youth development, there was still significant room for improvement.
“I do believe that there is room for improvement and the issue is not simply amount of money being spent but whether there’s sufficient strategic coordination between programmes,” he said.
“The more important question I believe is whether current expenditure is producing the outcomes we seek.”
He said government budgeting should focus on measurable results rather than participation numbers alone.
“In public finance, effectiveness matters as much as allocation.
“What we need to do is we need to shift towards an outcome-based budgeting.”
Mr Maharaj also raised concerns about duplication between government agencies and non-government organisations, saying closer collaboration would improve service delivery and make better use of limited resources.
“At the moment, NGOs and governments, they start working separately and sometimes that risks duplication.”
Addressing youth priorities, he said the rising cost of living remained a major concern.
“The overwhelming concern I hear is not simply about employment but about opportunity, about how expensive goods and services are.”
Mr Maharaj added young people wanted greater investment in skills development, digital infrastructure and employment pathways, while also calling for meaningful youth participation in decision-making.
“So far, we have just been a tick in a box.
“We need to see the tangibility of it, we need to record, we need to monitor, we need to properly evaluate.”
