TIME MANAGEMENT FOR AN OUT-OF-SCHOOL YOUTH
NWEKE PRINCE:- Life-Skills Initiative For Youth Empowerment and Development, University of Nigeria, Nsukka – Enugu State
In the contemporary Nigerian society, many youths have been thrown off-balance. This derives from the poor background given from primary through tertiary education. These institutions have not equipped the youth with the skills needed to cope with life, so as to become self-reliant. Once out-of-school therefore, the youths tend to grope like sheep without a shepherd.

However, it is important that the youths be informed that all hope is not lost. The purpose of this brief write-up is to show the youths a way out of the dilemma and enable them bounce back developing the needed resilience to tackle life after school. The whole thing is predicated on time-management after school.

There are scores of skills available for the youths to fall back to in order to ensure that they do not waste useful years. The youths can learn fashion designing and organize themselves into cooperatives. If they do this the banks may offer them loans to equip themselves.

Some youths are driving literate. The skill of driving can be employed gainfully. If the youths organize themselves into cooperatives, they may be able to purchase a bus for a start and raise money for themselves. Of course this will require proper contract agreement to avoid swindling by unscrupulous members.

The deficiencies that may be detected in primary schools may be corrected if – An English Graduate, Mathematics Graduate, Physics, Geography, Igbo, Biology, History, Social Sciences etc band themselves together and run lessons, then transit to primary, to secondary, JAMB UME etc, raise money from school fees and establish their own schools.

These borders on time management, as acknowledged by Nwakaire (2004:123) in managing time, it is necessary to keep one’s mind in clear focus. What one wants to achieve must be clearly defined and urgent action must follow. So the first step in managing time is to realize its fleeting nature and start to manage it immediately.

Planning of time is vital if one is to achieve the most within the available time. The reality of life is that it is dynamic. At each phase you should be able to cope. If you are 20 today, in the next decade you will be 30, the next 40, next 50 etc. along with each decade come changes; physical, emotional, spiritual and mental lent there are two poems that will assist you:


INSPIRATION

How are you heading? On up-grade
Fearless, dauntless and unafraid
The light of victory in your eye
Your shoulders squared and head held high
Because you vowed, “I shall prevail!”
You dare not, cannot, must not fail
No power on earth can hold you back,
You’re traveling on the victor’s track,
On, on, scale heights that tower so steep,
Through storm and night and tempest sweep,
The goal is yours, you’ll win the prize
Though off you stumble, quickly rise –
Be not discouraged, still pursue,
Until life’s best is won by you
(from a very old Psychology magazine)
The second poem also belongs to the Ages. If you recite this poem every morning when you arise, you will definitely change for the better.
Listen to the exhortation of the dawn;
Look well to this day!
For it’s life, the very life of life!
In its brief course, lie all the
Varieties and Realities of your Existence,
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendour of Beauty,
For yesterday is but a dream,
And Tomorrow is only a Vision
But Today, well lived, makes
Every yesterday a Dream of Happiness
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope
Look well therefore to this Day,
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn
(From the Sanskrit).
You cannot afford to be idle. Use your time wisely and immediately in line with the exhortation above and you will succeed. You must be humble to succeed.