The government’s youth policy faces a serious problem: It lacks coordination because government agencies operate independently.
When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out at the end of 2019, the lives of college students changed drastically. The unprecedented pandemic has left a lasting imprint on their lives, but government agencies have yet to fully grasp what they have gone through. The government should offer concrete help to win back young people’s trust and support.
During the pandemic, students had to deal with many issues. They could not gather in-person to study and had to take online classes. As a result, they became highly atomized individuals who operate like separate atoms. “Classmates,” in their minds, are probably just pictures on the computer screen. Running with their schoolmates in the field or forming friendships with their dorm mates is like a tale from the past. It would be hard for this generation of students to imagine the success that their predecessors achieved through networking at school.
For students of the pandemic era, the Internet was the dominant means of getting to know the world. Consequently, they became less excited about their real lives, unable to imagine a promising future. Now, they face the difficulty of finding a job, and their frustration is mounting day by day. More often than not, these students’ capabilities are questioned by professionals, who tend to doubt the effect of online teaching. Moreover, the economy has yet to recover from the pandemic, and companies continue to cut their workforces. All things considered, young people from the pandemic era tend to be detached from social issues and rarely participate in public affairs. Nor surprisingly, a proposed constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 18 from 20 did not pass.
Whereas the pandemic has changed how classes are taught, the Ministry of Education’s Youth Development Administration (YDA) has failed to change its mindset to keep up with the times. Likewise, its youth policy has not been modified accordingly. Most of the agendas have been planned and are designed to be carried out in traditional settings — where in-person teaching is the norm. Policymakers must change their way of thinking. The ministry should evaluate the temperament of the youth of today and review whether the current policy can cater to their needs. With a Cabinet reshuffle in the pipeline, the YDA should consider recruiting young talent instead of keeping senior rank (Grade 14) civil servants who have been in those positions for years. A 60-year-old civil servant might not be cognizant of a young person’s needs. The ministry should also reach out to students to provide them with the resources they need. Only when these students are well supported to cope with the challenges in the post-pandemic era can they trust and support the government again.
This generation relies heavily on the Internet, through which they interact with others and get the information they want. They are familiar with the latest technology, especially those relating to artificial intelligence (AI). This should be considered when a new youth policy is designed. That way, the government can mobilize young talent from different fields, making the most of the tech-savvy skills that they have developed during the pandemic. However, this is not a task that the YDA can undertake alone; it would require close collaboration with the National Science and Technology Council, the National Development Council and the Ministry of Digital Affairs.
If AI is to be Taiwan’s next star industry and young people who have lived through the pandemic are better than any other generation in their command of the online world, the government should devise new modes of civic engagement, accumulating as much digital social capital as possible. Through AI technology, the competitiveness of pandemic-era youth can be enhanced.
For highly digitally literate young people, they are even more familiar with the virtual rather than the real world. They have a solid understanding of the most advanced digital technology, such as cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens. This is their distinctive capability, and the government should definitely pay attention to it.
Liu Chao-lung is an associate professor at National Changhua University of Education’s Department of Public Affairs and Civic Education.
Translated by Emma Liu
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