Human development key to progressive Pakistan: Speakers

Zulfikar Bukhari said the youth bulge in the country

ISLAMABAD (APP) – The speakers at a conference on Thursday pointed out the gap between academia and industry and stressed to redefine the skill set for preparing globally compatible workforce to cater unemployment dilemma in the country.

Addressing the moot titled ‘Enabling Employment’ at Aiwan-e-Sadr, they also called for inclusion of vocational and technical training as permanent subject in the educational curriculum to train youth with market driven skills and education for grabbing employment opportunities at home and abroad.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari, speaking as a chief guest said the government was striving hard to analyze the local potential, both in education and employment to equip its manpower for coping with the global standards.

He said all stakeholders had been gathered at one platform to garner their assistance in formulating the policy and its implementation to provide the youth better job opportunities within the country and abroad as well.

“Regularization of skill set was imperative to produce demand driven workforce,” he said, addressing the moot jointly organized by Overseas Ministry in collaboration with National Logistic Cell (NLC).

Zulfikar Bukhari said the youth bulge in the country, was central to the economic prosperity but at the same time this segment of society was frustrated due to unemployment that sometimes results in serious repercussions forcing them to indulge in subversive activities.

The country had sent some 10 million labour abroad since 1971 and the emigration of labour saw its peak in 2015 and since then it witnessed a sharp decline due to some economic reforms in the middle east and poor skill set.

“We have to invest in human resource rather than in infrastructure to arrest the prevailing situation,” the Special Assistant emphasized.

He underlined the need to encourage the private sector to promote business activities in the country to help foster entrepreneurship and start-up culture in the country.

“Without digitalization of public offices, the elimination of corruption was an elusive dream. This has made the automation between the people and state departments, a top priority of the government,” he stated.

He said the government was consulting technology giants for embracing modern technologies to improve institutional infrastructure and capitalize on human capital. Civil services reforms can be defined as one of the steps to this direction.

Zulfikar Bukhari said the government was also reaching out the overseas Pakistanis, international donor agencies and other stakeholders to help government achieve its development goals.

Parliamentary Secretary on Foreign Affairs Andleeb Abbas said when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took the reins of the country, it was training some 430,000 people per year but its market sought over 0.5 million of trained youth annually, she added.

She said the country owned over 18,000 trainers in its vocational intuitions whereas it needed some 0.2 million of them, adding that it also did not have required number of such institutions.

“Where there is an opportunity, there are challenges but the PTI government will efficiently address it with effective policies, she resolved.

The founder of NUTECH institution, Lieutenant General Khalid Asghar (Retd) Rector emphasized the need of revamping and reforming the contemporary education system with integration all stake holders.

He urged the government to establish the excellence education centers at regional level.

NLC Director General, Major Gen. Muhammad Asim Iqbal said the country was facing a tremendous growth in its youth which could ensure its socio-economic development if this bulge would be utilized in efficient manners.

The government could not exploit this opportunity alone as the collaborative efforts were the need of hour to harness this potential reserve of the country offering in the shape of talented youngsters.