THE AGE LIMIT SET FOR EMPLOYMENT AT BDF IS OUTDATED AND SHOULD BE REVISED

Mos t j obs , especi a l l y l aw enforcement jobs, are common to have age limit between 21-24 as a requirement to join them.

This practice has never been changed, reviewed or challenged. Why ?

Imagine if someone wanted to join the forces after turning 24; this means that the individual will never be allowed anywhere near BDF or the police. Even if those individuals may have gone to up skill themselves then decide to join later, they can’t make it.

People can’t even move between services like Police to BDF or Prisons or other civil servant jobs just because we have set the age limit of 21-24 as a barrier, which hinders movements without any legitimate excuse. I understand physical fitness is a paramount when joining the forces, but let’s take a little trip to developed countries and their armies.

To join the British army as a private soldier, it starts from 15 years to 36 years and as Officer, it is 18 to 29. To join the US army, depending on which arm you join, it starts from 18 to 39 years old.

This age range is almost similar across European Armies, so why do we have to oppress our own people and deny them opportunities?

Remember these countries are involved in combat wars and operations where both physical and mental fitness is key to their success. So are we saying Batswana can’t join BDF at the age of 33 years and if so, why?

I think we need to visit some of these long standing traditions and culture which hinder our young people from getting opportunities. Right now someone can’t leave BDF at the age of 30 and join the Police or leave the Police to join BDF or Prisons like we see in other countries where people can easily move across to other jobs and bring in their experiences. Remember people used to say women can’t join BDF - that was rubbish, and you can’t justify why people of 33 years can’t do it.

Unemployment is high amongst those over the age of 25 years because of this myopic and old criteria which do not make any sense at all. We must accept that things are completely different from the day BDF was initially formed.

Those who left the army and wish to rejoin should also feel free to rejoin the army, as long as they’re still physically fit. It is high time we change our approach to issue based matters. We can’t pretend is all fine. We need leaders who go to Parliament to challenge this long over due criteria which were set by bo Rre Merafhe and others when BDF was still at an infant stage.