In Colombia, the prevalence of people colloquially known as ‘ninis’, that is, those who neither study nor work, has been a cause for concern for the country’s labor and educational sector. This is a population of young people between 15 and 28 years old.
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According to the Great Integrated Household Survey (GEIH) and an analysis by the Laboratory of Economics for Education (LEE) of the Javeriana University, During 2023 in the country, 13.8% of young people were part of the ‘nini’ populationwhich meant at least 1.5 million people.
However, according to data from the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), in the quarter from October to December of last yearThe population of young people between 15 and 28 years of age who were neither studying nor employed already reached 2.6 million people.
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The report also compared the country’s results with the OECD average for ‘ninis’, where at least 14 out of every 100 young people are part of this population, which shows Colombia slightly below.
Other data presented by the LEE is that in 2021, 59.4% of the NEETs were poor, 23.6% were in extreme poverty and Their average monthly income was $65,516, according to information from the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare (ICBF).
“The reasons behind this phenomenon are varied and complex, including economic crises, political instability, inadequate educational and labor policies, as well as social and cultural barriers.“, the document states.
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However, the data reflected a gender gap in the Colombian ‘ninis’ population, taking into account that 76% of this population were women, compared to 24% of men. Furthermore, 28% of NEETs are between the ages of 17 and 19.
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In terms of characterization, 32% of these young people consider themselves peasants, which represents almost 11 percentage points more than those who are studying or working, which represent 21.6%. Likewise, 7.5% of the population identified as indigenous.
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Analyzing the educational aspects, 2% of them in Colombia cannot read or write, which, according to the LEE, represents 1.4 percentage points of those who do not belong to this population. But also, with respect to the highest level of education achieved, 73% have a secondary or high school level. Meanwhile, 60% of those young people who are not ‘ninis’ have a secondary or university level.
“Precisely, according to the Dane census, school attendance of young people between 18 and 24 years old in Vaupés and Guainía (the departments with the highest rates of NEETs) It is only 30% and 32% respectively versus 44% in Bogotá”, they highlight.
Returning to the gender gap explained above, the document revealed that 80% of the ‘ninis’ spent most of their time on household chores, versus 6.1% of the non-‘ninis’. This could be explained by the burden of care activities on young women.
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In fact, 90% of women aged 10 years or older were found to perform unpaid domestic or care work versus 63% of men. Although 79% of the ‘ninis’ said they did not want to find a paid job, while 21% did.
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The departments with the most ‘ninis’
According to LEE estimates, with GEIH data from 2023Guainía was the department with the highest rate of NEETs in the country at 22.6%. Vaupés is next with 22.1% and Chocó with 21%.
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High rates were also found in Cesar with 19.9%, along with La Guajira which registered 18.6% and Magdalena with 18.4%. Even within the document it is possible to detail that there is a social phenomenon where the country’s center-periphery and urban-rural inequalities come into play.
According to the National Information System of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education for 2022 Vaupés, Guainía, Sucre and Magdalena were part of the top 10 departments with a lower rate of immediate transition to higher education.
Thus, on average, the proportion of high school graduates who entered higher education programs in the year immediately following the completion of secondary education It was only 26% in those four departments.
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“Guainía and Vaupés are precisely the two departments with the highest rate of ‘ninis’ and where there is also the lowest number of active HEIs at the national level.“, they point out. It is worth noting that the departments with the lowest rate correspond to Guaviare with 7.3%, followed by Casanare with 7.4% and Bogotá with 7.7%.
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recommendations
Based on the information revealed by the Laboratory, It is suggested to implement and expand affordable, high-quality child care programs for low-income families.given the high incidence of household chores and family responsibilities in the ‘nini’ population. This would allow these young people to enter education or work.
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On the other hand, the LEE insists that it is necessary to sustain and deepen the policies of educational permanence, the flexibility of schooling processes and an extension of the extended working day.
“In the case of the flexibility of the educational offer, it is crucial to strengthen flexible and distance education programs that allow young people with family responsibilities to continue their education (adaptive schedules, online and semi-face-to-face education), as well as implementing policies that recognize and accredit non-formal and informal learning, facilitating the return to formal education or the validation of skills for work.“, they conclude.
(See: During 2023, academic enrollment in Colombia decreased by 1.9%)
