Youth at 16? Johor govt plots early start to build next-gen leaders, says committee chair
JOHOR BARU, May 25 — The Johor government plans to introduce a minimum youth age as early as 16 years to provide early exposure to teenagers regarding the environment after school.
Johor Youth, Sports, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said that by introducing a lower youth age at 16, teenagers will have the opportunity to join youth associations, which in turn ensures that these associations have strong successors.
'The Johor government is currently studying ways to further empower our youth, starting from the age of 16.
'When they start fostering the spirit of associations at the age of 16, they will not be surprised by the culture of associations after they leave the school environment,' he said.
He said this after officiating the National Youth Day 2025 celebration at the Johor state level in conjunction with the 2025 Johor Madani Rakyat Programme (PMR) at Toppen Shopping Centre here today.
He said that a consultation session with the Department of Education, the Youth Council, and related agencies will be held to discuss the matter, which is expected to be resolved in the near future.
Meanwhile, he said the government is not yet ready to lower the youth age limit to 30 years from 40 as to be enforced at the national level next year and will review the matter in depth.
PMR is organised by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) through the Performance Acceleration and Coordination Unit (PACU) as part of the government's ongoing efforts under the Malaysia Madani framework to bring government services directly to the people in selected states.
The three-day 2025 Johor PMR, with the theme 'Belia Madani, Yakin Boleh!', which began on Friday, features more than 100 direct services provided by federal government agencies and the Johor government. The Ministry of Youth and Sports is the leading ministry while the state government is the host. — Bernama
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