Government Defends MiLAT Suspension Results Did Not Justify $41 6 Million Cost
Government Senator and Technical Coordinator for Youth Affairs and National Service at the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, Daniel Rasheed, is defending the Government’s decision to suspend the Military-Led Academic Training Programme (MiLAT), arguing that millions of dollars were spent with limited results.
Speaking at the National Youth Conference and Exposition on Friday, he said the programme’s performance did not justify its cost and failed to deliver adequate outcomes despite significant State investment.
« It does not excuse poor results. Over the past three years, the state spent $41.6 million on this programme. Approximately 300 young persons were enrolled. The average pass rate was 37.6%. »
He said only about one-third of participants achieved full certification, despite what he described as substantial spending by the State.
« The math’s not math-sing. In 2023 to 2024, for only one-third of the participants achieved a full certification. You ask me why we shut it down. Think about this. $41.6 million worked out to nearly $140,000 per young person, and most of them were still left without certificates they came for. So that’s why we paused it. »
Mr Rasheed also pointed to concerns about operational costs and the welfare of programme participants.
« Salaries alone cost almost $8 million a year. For a programme serving young people, which roughly accounted for about 81 to about 100 persons. Beyond the numbers, there were serious concerns raised about the welfare of the young persons in that programme that no responsible Government could ignore. »
He maintained that the move is intended to reform youth development efforts rather than eliminate them.
« A responsible Government does not keep writing cheques because stopping it will be uncomfortable. A responsible Government pauses, looks honestly at what was wrong, and then fix it. So every dollar spent represented a real value for our young persons. And that is what we’re doing. It’s not an end. It’s a pause for a second chance. »
Mr Rasheed said the Government is reviewing youth programmes to ensure future initiatives provide recognised certification, employable skills and measurable outcomes for young people, while delivering greater value for taxpayers’ money.
