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NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION

DRAFT STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK ON THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORK

Prepared for Internal Discussions by Mary Maake, September 2006

�Strengthening local government for a meaningful participation, intervention and contribution to the upliftment of young people� Is this your vision, place it relevantly

1. � BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION

Since the inception of democracy in 1994 in South Africa , local government system has undergone drastic policy and legislative changes objectively to prepare it to meet its major challenges and reflect its developmental character. It could be argued that local government faces not only fresh challenges in the aftermath of the democratic dispensation, but uniquely positioned and tasked to become the champion of accelerating and realizing the transformative impact of restoring human dignity to local communities through the provision of efficient and effective service delivery.

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) recognizes the roles and obligations of all citizens as equals towards defending and advancing the cooperative governance across spheres of government as well as sectors of society. Chapter 7 of the Constitution gives local government its status as an important sphere of government within its financial and administrative capacity to achieve the following:

The National Youth Commission (NYC), established in 1996 through the Act of 1996 (Act No. 19 of 1996, has been mandated to cater for the needs of young women and men in country. The responsibilities of the NYC in advancing youth development as central to transformation and addressing poverty an underdevelopment in South Africa includes:

2. OVERVIEW ON THE POLICY FRAMEWORK DIRECTING THE NYC�S LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME

There is an acknowledgement that the local government programme of the NYC will not be like any other local government programme, in particular for the implementing structures. Nevertheless, this programme is subject to certain policy regimen. The following paragraphs provide an overview on such a framework. �

2.1 BROAD POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA

While the policies of the government of the day have been progressive overall in addressing the developmental challenges, essentially, non of the local government specific policies do target youth as a specific group. Essential legislation such as Municipal Systems and Structures Acts will require strategic interventions from the NYC to ensure that youth issues are given the seriousness they deserve. Nevertheless, the Constitutional framework gives the National Youth Commission leverage on devising interventions for youth development at local government level.

Section 2 of the Constitution of the Republic Of South Africa, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996), reflects that � this Constitution is the supreme law of the Republic, law or conduct inconsistent with it is invalid and obligations imposed by it must be fulfilled. � This in essence means that any design of youth development interventions at local government level should be constitutional. There are plethora of human rights encapsulated in the Constitution for which youth are also subject to benefit. The National Youth Commission should seek ways through which it can leverage the opportunities brought about by the new constitutional dispensation in South Africa . � �

2.2 SPECIFIC FRAMEWORK FOR THE NYC�S LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME

2.2.1 The National Youth Commission Act

The National Youth Commission, created in terms of an Act of Parliament, (National Youth Commission Act, Act no 19 of 1996 as amended By Act 16 of 2000) is a statutory public entity created with some specific objects. The objects as they relate to this strategy are defined in the paragraphs below.

q To coordinate and develop an integrated national youth policy � An integrated National Youth Policy should take cognizance of the status of youth at municipal level. In essence, the national youth policy will find its real life in its implementation at local government level. �

q To develop an integrated national youth development strategy that utilises available resources and expertise for the development of the youth and which shall be integrated with reconstruction and development programme � - The integrated national youth development strategy is the implementation arm of the National Youth Policy. As with the policy, the strategy can only make a meaningful impact at local government level. While the National Strategy will be the over-aching strategy, local youth plans will give it measurable impact. �

q To develop principles and guidelines and make recommendations to the government regarding such principles and guidelines for the implementation of such principles and guidelines as a matter of priority : The National Youth Commission will have to continue refining youth practices at local government level. The Guidelines on local government will need to be refined and on the cutting edge of local government development to influence developments in lieu of youth development. � �

q To implement measures to redress the imbalances of the past relating to the various forms of disadvantage suffered by the youth generally or specific groups or categories of persons amongst the youth . The interventions of the National Youth Commission at this level should ensure that the previously disadvantaged youth in particular are given credence. �

q To promote uniformity of approach by all organs of state, including provincial and local government, to matters relating to or involving the youth . The development of guidelines and policies related to youth development targeting municipalities remain critical.

2.2.2 National Youth Development Policy Framework

National Youth Development Policy Framework (2002-2007) sets broad goals for youth development in the following categories:

o Social Well being � eg. Involvement of young people in poverty alleviation programmes and strengthening of capacity building programmes aimed at young people.

o Education and training � Collaborative learning

o Economic participation and empowerment � Learnerships, training, PPP, youth Business development

o Justice and Safety � e.g The Youth Crime Prevention Strategy

o Social mobilisation, capacity building and advocacy � eg National Youth Service.

This is the document that the government adopted as a working document for youth development; hence it identified the following key goals amongst others:

v On youth Social Well Being

- Young People�s active involvement in the conceptualization, implementation and, monitoring processes of youth driven poverty alleviation programmes in local government. �

- Support and expansion of the Youth Aids ambassadors programme.

- Arts and culture involvement of youth.

- Youth involvement in sport.

- Youth access to information.

v Education and Training

- Participation of youth in structures that deliberate on education.

- Developmental programmes to promote structured learning for youth who are outside the formal education system.

v Youth Economic Participation

- Creation of youth specific learnerships,

- Market driven training,

- Public private partnerships to drive the youth entrepreneurship course,

- Strengthening the capacity of Umsobomvu Youth Fund for increased youth economic participation and empowerment.

v Justice and Safety

- Life skills programmes

- Houses of safety for young people

- Alternative means of sentencing for youth

- After care for young offenders

v Social Mobilisation, Capacity Building and Advocacy �

- Implementation of National Youth Service Programme,

- Capacity building for youth organisations,

All the above find better expression at local government level. It is through active involvement of local government that the youth�s socio-economic status can be improved.

2.2.3 NATIONAL YOUTH POLICY 2000

The National Youth Policy 2000, acknowledges the role of local government in youth development by encouraging the local government to design mechanisms for the creation of youth development programmes and to also identify the needs and developmental opportunities for young people. The policy identifies roles that municipalities need to play in addressing the needs of young people:

2.2.4 The White Paper on National Youth Service

The White Paper on National Youth Service set the clear framework for the implementation of the National Youth Service in South Africa , which is voluntary. The National Youth Service programme set the minimum standards for the National Youth Service Programmes in South Africa with the key elements being the following:

q Service � National Youth Service is implemented in areas that are regarded as essential to national development and the communities. Young people therefore should deliver such a service to the directly affected community voluntarily getting only a stipend.

q Learning Component � while involved in the delivery of the essential National Service, young people are also gaining some accredited skills.

q Exit opportunities � The National Youth Service Programme in South Africa is structured such that young people on conclusion of the project do not have to return to the streets, but get pre-planned exit opportunities.

The service component of this programme finds clear expression at local government level. It remains significant to find avenues of implementing this programme mainly at local government level.

3. THE CURRENT STATUS OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AT LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL

A recently completed study entitled Youth Development Policy in Municipalities in South Africa provides the following information with regard to the institutionalisation of youth development at local government level: �

v On the Existence of youth policies in Municipalities: While slightly less than 24% of all municipalities have a youth development policy, the figures hide significant differences between the various categories of municipalities. All six metropolitan municipalities, 35% of district municipalities and 19% of local municipalities have such policies.

v On the reasons for not having a youth policies: The primary reasons for not having a policy were attributed to a lack of capacity, the fact that the policy is still being prepared and a lack of political will.

v On the officials� perceptions of their youth development policies: The highest average rating of their policies was amongst officials employed in metropolitan municipalities (7.6 out of 10), followed by officials employed in district municipalities at 6.9 out of 10 and officials employed in local municipalities at 5.8 out of 10. These ratings do, however, hide a wide range of perceptions, with some officials scoring their policies as low as 4 out of 10 and others as high as 10 out of 10. The reasons for the higher ratings were given as the focus of the policy on youth issues, involvement by youth and alignment with other developmental plans and policies, as well as with the national youth framework. Lower ratings were primarily attributed to the policy still being under construction and a lack of implementation.

v On the Content/Focus of policies: While there are some differences between the content of the policies as provided by the interviewees from the three types of municipalities there are a number of dominant themes in all three sets. These are (1) employment creation and LED; (2) capacity building and skills development; (3) sport development; (4) initiating and sponsoring youth development projects and programmes; (5) HIV and AIDS; and (6) ensuring integration between youth and the structures and activities of the municipality.

v On the Institutional arrangements and the role of the youth official: More than 50% of all municipalities have appointed an official to deal directly with youth issues. The location of this official in the administration varies significantly in and between the various categories of municipalities. Despite the differences in location the majority of these officials tend to report to the Mayor. As for the key functions of these officials, this tends to revolve around the development of youth strategies, coordination of youth matters, lobbying and advocacy.

v On Youth Development Research at local government level: Not much research by municipalities into youth and youth issues was reported. The bulk of the research that was done, was also undertaken during the course of the last year, which may not necessarily be a result of a lack of concern, but rather the newness of the youth function and youth officials in municipalities.

v On the Implementation of youth policy at municipal level: According to the respondents commitment to implementation is high amongst all categories of municipalities. Skills development and local economic development programmes were the areas that were most actively implemented by municipalities throughout the country. The majority of municipalities do not have mechanisms or measures in place to monitor policy-implementation and performance. The majority of municipalities are also enforcing youth quotas in municipal procurement. The most important success factor for implementation of the youth development policy is whether it was budgeted for or not, followed by the support of key officials. Inclusion in the IDP seemed not to be regarded as that important. The main stumbling blocks for implementation of these policies were listed as lack of finances, lack of communication and information sharing, lack of capacity and lack of awareness of youth issues.

Overall, it can be acknowledged that work has been done in terms of institutinalising youth development at local government level. However in practice there is still some work that need to be undertaken in ensuring that youth units are effectively utilised to inform policy at municipal level.

4. RATIONALE/ CASE FOR A LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRATEGY AT LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL

v To provide for a focused approach on local government work of the National Youth Commission.

v To set clear goals and objectives on the National Youth Commission�s local government work.

v To set basis for lobbying and advocacy work at local government level.

5. NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION�S STRATEGIC APPROACH TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORK

5.1 VISION: To build a sustainable youth development programme at local government level

5.2 MISSION : Strengthening local government for a meaningful participation, intervention and contribution to the upliftment of young people.

5.3 OBJECTIVES

5.4 CHARACTERISATION OF THE NYC�S LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORK

The NYC Local Government Programme focuses on facilitating the implementation on institutionalization of youth development at local government level. The Local government programme will continue focusing on the �CAR� model which is an abbreviation of the following:

C : Capacity Building

A : Advocacy and Lobbying

R: Research

5. 4.1 Capacity building element of the local government programme mainly focuses on building the capacity of youth and municipalities to effectively ensure youth development and participation at local government level. There are two key areas on capacity building, namely: �

� To establish a framework for efficient local youth Policy development that can be replicated in SA.

� To use best practice models to illustrate practical application of local youth policy.

� To strengthen the capacity of youth organizations and municipalities in South Africa to effectively ensure youth participation and development.

5.4.2 Advocacy element aimed at assisting municipalities in institutionalizing youth development at local level. In this regard, Municipal Youth Guidelines adopted at the 2004 national Conference on Youth Development at local government, have been developed to serve as an instrument that should provide guidance to Municipalities on setting up appropriate interventions for youth development at local level. As a consequence its monitoring, research and policy work, the NYC shall advocate for relevant programmes, services and facilities for the development of young people in municipalities.

In ensuring that institutionalization of youth development in municipalities occur, � the NYC among other things, � has further developed the Municipal Youth Development Guidelines that are aimed at providing information to assist stakeholders in conceptualizing, developing, planning and evaluating the implementation of youth policy in the municipalities. Based on the continues challenges that municipalities are still facing with regard to the istitutionalisation of youth development, the NYC will continue using the guidelines as a guiding document to lobby and advocate for the youth development in municipalities. Other purposes of the guidelines included:

� To provide basic guidelines to all municipalities in developing relevant policies

� To assist the municipalities in developing working and appropriate strategies for youth development interventions

� To set minimum programme content for local government that each municipality has to annually report on as part of their performance scorecard

� To bring closer the disparate attempts at youth development programming that are mostly difficult to quantify

� To assist municipalities in institutionalising youth development and ensuring its mainstreaming in the broader integrated development planning processes.

The following points were highlighted as guidelines for the implementation of youth development in municipalities :

On the Municipal Youth Policy: Municipalities should establish a policy on youth development.

On the Institutional structures: There is an existing policy framework compeling municipalities to establish structures for youth development. The overall policy framework compels municipalities to establish the structures necessary for implementing the Local Youth Policy. Furthermore, the policy framework compels municipalities to identify a specific elected official and committee to be designated as the custodian of youth matters in/for council.

On the Management structure: Municipalities are required to appoint a member of staff in a senior position to be responsible for youth matters.

On the location of Youth Units: Youth affairs officials should be located in a place where they visible. This should be in the office of the mayor.

On the Role and Responsibility of the Youth Unit: The following key roles are critical to these units:

� To develop appropriate strategy that will enable the municipality to meet its policy commitments and legal obligations to the youth in its area of jurisdiction;

� To conduct or commission meaningful, periodic research into youth development and its impact in the municipality;

� To co-ordinate and facilitate the formation of a �Youth Council� or hold/convene an annual youth summit as may be dictated by the policy of the municipality;

� To manage projects for, and report on, various interventions aimed at youth development;

� To develop mechanisms such as scorecards or indicators for monitoring and evaluation of the municipality�s performance on youth development

� Initiate programmes and projects for the municipality and ensure their inclusion in the IDP of the municipality including the process of annual review;

� To provide a platform for advocacy, public information and planning for the youth structures in the municipality; and

� To provide a stakeholder liaison and representation function on youth matters on behalf of the elected representatives at local, regional and national levels.

Core youth programmes for implementation in municipalities as stipulated in the guidelines

The co-ordination of volunteer services by young people has been demonstrably done in other countries, notably by Botswana �s �Tirelo Sechaba� in the SADC region. Many first world countries still have programmes that youth expect to undergo at some stage in their life. These programmes are driven by government and have proved to be successful over the years. While the National Youth Service is being implemented, municipalities can put in place local mechanisms for a volunteer service corps to be used all-year round for specific services, municipalities can also convert some of their existing programmes to NYS. For obvious reasons, this will involve trade union participation to ensure that key stakeholders are comfortable and support the initiative. Areas of volunteer activity could include, but are not limited to, electoral education, Literacy for adults, school-child mentorship, �Adopt-a-Child� advisory and mentoring service, clean-and-green projects and school cleaning project. It has to be noted that many of the schools in disadvantaged areas are not able to raise the revenue to retain janitors or school maintenance staff. In this context, a wide variety of organized activity under the auspices of the municipality and recognition granted by the Council should be in the forefront of youth development. The target could be to use young people with tertiary education and that are out-of-work and benefit various age groups identified as priority by the municipality. Research will determine the bias in this regard. It is important that such contribution by youth is given recognition by the Council through such mechanisms as Mayoral awards and bursary grants (where applicable).

The municipality should establish a career advice center modeled alongside those of NGOs and universities around the country. In many instances, the Councils could enter into o-operation agreements with institutions that can add value to make this possible. From research conducted, including the CASE report done for the NYC in 1996, �poor career guidance and ignorance about educational opportunities� are just some of the challenges facing the country�s poorer communities. Also, advise about educational assistance such as bursaries and loans can be proffered. In addition to the above, educational institutions can be brought on board to provide direct contact to learners as well as in some instance bring distance learning opportunities to far-flung regions.

The single greatest challenge in disadvantaged areas is lack of facilities and knowledge about sports. While sporting activities are limited to the affordable soccer and in some instances netball, these activities are mainly school-based and little organized sports takes place. It is also noteworthy that Olympic sport is not organized at local levels. It is imperative that municipalities take some responsibility for organisation of sport to support national effort at increasing South Africa �s success at competitive sport internationally. The idea of "LOCALYMPICS" is a definite requirement in our quest to discover hitherto unknown talent.

Secondly, the construction of sports facilities in the disadvantaged areas is a challenge that the national constitution poses on local government. As a developmental local government, infrastructure development has become a field of play for the sector. How youth can be involved in the construction opportunities as well as management of contracts for sports facilities is an opportunity that needs exploring.

Facilities management is another area of concern. Previously, municipal facilities would remain �white elephants� in a sea of communities that have no facilities. It is thus crucial for municipalities to develop local capacity to manage the facilities. Public-private partnerships, as well as agreements with civil society organizations, have potential that needs to be looked into. Youth can specifically be trained and compensated for managing facilities on behalf of councils. Obviously, the participation of organized sports in the management and use of such facilities is crucial for the success of such interventions. �

Two crucial issues are internships and learnerships. The department of Labour has put in place a human resource development strategy for the country, which requires employers to create opportunities for post-school development of skills. Municipalities should put in place the HRD policy framework that prioritises local youth as beneficiaries of organized training opportunities. Specific fields of priority could be earmarked that relate to the economic challenges that face the area. For instance, in conjunction with private sector organizations, municipalities should compile a database of learnerships in the area for the scarce skills that will support their Local Economic Development strategy. Thus, skills development is directed at specific needs of the economy of the municipality. This will make investment in HRD a worthwhile objective for business as well as potential investors.

Potential for investment by municipalities in income-generating activities is huge. This will also make a dent in the unemployment rates in the area. Some areas have identified sea-harvesting activities, others tourism and yet others mining support activities. These areas can potentially be used as a catalyst for job creation and economic growth. In that instance municipalities could look into their strengths and put their resources into creating a core of business opportunities for their citizens.

A second area is exploring the preferential procurement policy that prioritises companies doing work through investment in development of local human resource capacity. Tenders such as cleaning, maintenance, refuse disposal, storm-water, electrification and other infrastructure tenders could require service providers to demonstrate their ability to use locals as employees and joint venture players in tendering process. Obvious risks such as repeated circulation among a few elite, well-connected businesses should be guarded against in the process. Specific attention should be paid to youth development impact of such contracts.

It is crucial, with South Africa affected by communicable diseases such as sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, and others, that municipalities should be alert to and invest in dealing with such diseases. The combination of some of these with the scourge of HIV/AIDS in the past twenty years has even made the illnesses more of a clear and present danger. The emphasis on education and interventions such as anti-retroviral treatment cannot be understated. Local government should therefore put itself at the coalface of such interventions. Where clinic are available, the creation of public education mechanisms such as seminars and demonstration should be prioritized. Youth development cannot take place side-by-side with the deteriorating health condition. Youth action in this regard could include: home-based caregivers�intervention, educational drama, schools programmes on environmental health and communicable diseases, basic hygiene and city by-laws on health and hygiene. In the immediate period, however, putting emphasis on HIV/AIDS is more urgent.

Volunteer groups that will clean and green the towns are still a basic necessity. The dry seasons being experienced today, provide a good reason to call for youth action on saving the environment. Activities such as managing drainage, deforestation, greening the parks, national arbour day, etc will support environmental conservation and make a meaningful contribution to the youth�s all-round development.

Research element - The research element focuses on developing based practices and communicating. Ongoing research on various matters of youth development at local level is key to our work in identifying needs for local facilities on youth development.

Youth Advisory Centres :

5.5 PRINCIPLES OF THE NYC�S LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME

o Redressing imbalances �����

Recognition of the manner in which young women and men have been affected by the imbalances of the past and the need to redress these imbalances through more equitable policies, programmes and the allocation of resources.

o Gender inclusive

The National Youth Policy promotes a gender-inclusive approach to the development of young women and men, where the socialising influences of gender, the impact of sexism and the particular circumstances of young women are recognised. � The National Youth Policy celebrates the many differences found amongst young people and promotes equal opportunity and treatment of all young people � male and female. �

o Empowering environment ���������

Creation of an environment which supports the continued life-long development of young men and women and their skills and capacities.

o Youth participation ��������

Promotion of young people's participation in democratic processes, as well as in community and civic decision-making and development e.g. IDP processes.

o Youth-driven

Youth development services and programmes should be youth-driven and youth-centred.

o Mainstreaming youth issues

Whilst recognising the need for youth-driven and youth-centred development programmes and services, the needs, opportunities and challenges facing young women and men are the concerns of the whole society. Youth development should be recognised as an important mandate for all government agencies, non-government organisations and development institutions.

o Responsiveness �

Responds to the needs, challenges and opportunities experienced by young women and men in a realistic and participatory manner.

o Cultural and spiritual diversity ���

Recognition of cultural and spiritual diversity as a basis for youth development and the important role tradition, spirituality and culture can play in the development of young men and women.

o Sustainable development ����������

The value of sustainability is promoted to ensure the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

o Rural emphasis

The National Youth Policy promotes a rural emphasis in many of its strategies. � Where many development efforts contain an urban bias, the National Youth Policy endeavours to recognise and address the needs of rural young people and their communities.

o Transparency and accessibility

Institutions and organisations involve in youth development should operate in a transparent and accountable manner, whilst ensuring they are accessible to young women and men.

5.6 STRATEGIES ON ENGAGING WITH MUNICIPALITIES

Municipalities, Metro, District and Local provide a significant platform through which youth policy can be implemented. The real challenges facing youth are found at local level. The interventions at this level therefore remain significant.

v Consistently provide guidelines to municipalities in institutionalizing youth development in their workings.

v Assist Municipalities by setting minimum programme content for youth development programme.

v Promote uniformity of approach on the implementation of youth policy in general at municipal level. �

5.7 STRATEGIES ON ENGAGING WITH YOUTH CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS DOING WORK AT MUNICIPAL LEVEL

Civil Society Organisations has an important role to play at in terms of youth development at local government level. They represent the voice of young people in communities. Youth Organisations in municipalities lack key competencies to drive youth development; they need to be capacitated on skills such as leadership skills, resource management and IDPs.

o T he NYC needs to facilitate the process of resuscitating SAYC

o The NYC Needs to develop an MOU with SAYC to define the partnership

o Municipalities need to develop a clear strategy on how they will engage with civil society organizations. Municipalities have a leadership role to establish sustainable relations with youth organizations in responding to the needs of young people and representing their interests within the municipality. �

o Municipalities need to financially support and capacitate the youth organisations

o Private sector organizations need to support youth organizations in terms of funding as well as establishing constructive partnerships.

o Civil Society�s role in youth development requires recognition and resources. It is only through a strong and well-resourced civil society that participation in the development and promotion of youth development policies and programmes can occur.

5.8 STRATEGIES ON ENGAGING WITH HIGHER SPHERES OF GOVERNMENT TO IMPLMENT YOUTH POLICY AT MUNICIPAL LEVEL

The Most critical challenge for the implementation of youth development in municipalities in Institutionalisation of youth development is at this sphere. While in the national and provincial spheres of government there has been policy and legislative attempts at institutionalizing youth development, the same cannot be said about local government. The local government legislation such as Municipal Systems and Structures Act do not contribute towards the institutionalisation of youth development in South Africa . There are attempts from the National Youth Commission at seamless integration of youth development across all the spheres of governance in South Africa . NYC needs to facilitate the following:

o Establish a strategic relationship with DPLG and SALGA through Bilaterals with Premiers and Mayors, including other representative bodies.

o NYC to sign an MOU with DPLG and SALGA on the role clarifications �

o To facilitate the incorporation of youth development in the local government legislation and policies through DPLG

o NYC needs to ensure that youth issues at local government are tabled � at the Presidential Working Groups and Advisory Councils, Portfolio Committee briefings, especially the JMC and other relevant Parliamentary Structures

5.9 STRATEGIES ON ENGAGING THE PRIVATE SECTOR ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NYC�S LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME

NYC needs to establish substantial and significant interaction with the private sector to support youth development projects at local government.

5.10 STRATEGIES ON ENGAGING WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS IN LIEU OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NYC�S LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME

International Partnership has been very instrumental to the NYC work. The NYC has established a constructive partnership with the Flemish Government. The Co-operation Agreement between the two countries aimed at strengthening the capacity of youth at local government level.

5.11 STRUCTURAL IMPLICATIONS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NYC�S LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME