Technical education vital for youth empowerment

Technical education vital for youth empowerment

PESHAWAR, (APP) - Majority of Pakistani youth prefers to join government services, many opt to establish careers in semi-government organizations including banks and NGOs, while very few establish their own business after acquiring degrees from technical educational institutes to play role in the country’s socioeconomic development process.

Asad Khan (30), an electronics graduate of the Govt polytechnic institute of Peshawar was among one of thousands of Pakistani motivated youth, who soon after obtaining his degree established his own electronics business in his home town Pabbi, district Nowshera and had employed several local youth.

Busy like a honeybee in his electronics repairing workshop with scattered electricity appliances around him, the motivated electrician with tester and pliers in hand, was seen busy diagnosing faults in the instant water geysers with the help of an assistant.

Known as ‘Ustad’ by his staff, Asad who came to office at early morning and continued work till 6 p.m. was often approached by the local technicians for diagnosis and repairing of untraced faults in electronic appliances including ACs, TVs, washing machines, geysers, ovens etc while he also provides home service in various housing projects and electronic companies as an expert.

Entered in the pain-sticking business after starting a workshop at his home’s guestroom, Asad had now expanded the business by establishing a modern workshop in Tehsil Pabbi with latest equipment and had employed three interns cum technicians, thus contributing to the society’s financially.

“After completing DAE in Electronics from the government technical institute Peshawar, I had established a small workshop in my home’s guest room locally called Batak for repairing of electric appliances of villagers and with grace of God today I have another workshop in Pabbi where three technicians were working to complete the placed orders.”

“Presently, I prefers housing projects for electricity works keeping in view of the high profit margin being cost and time efficient,” he said, adding that profit of housing units varied in rural and urban areas and normally Rs20,000 to Rs30,000 were being charged from electricity wiring in a single storey five marlas house in market.

Professor Dr Zilakat Malik, former Chairman Economics Department, University of Peshawar said that demand of skilled labour has increased manifolds in Pakistan in the wake of CPEC’s projects, mushroom growth of housing societies and GULF’s companies’ high demand for skilled work force, and that whopping investment in technical education was required to promote industrialization, SMEs and capture local and international markets.

“When our youth visit GULF for employment, they spend normally six months to two years there to get LTV, HTV driving licenses and others operational expertise of different machineries to get recruitment in foreign companies, however, the labour from neighbouring countries get these jobs easily due to prior expertise and experiences,” he said.

As of December 2019, more than 11 million Pakistanis proceeded to over 50 countries across the globe to get employment after fulfilling official procedures, he said, adding 96pc migration prefer to go Gulf states including Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates for employment.

The remittances by overseas Pakistanis had reached to US$21.84 billion during 2019 financial year out of which 60-65 percent of the remittances were from the Arab States, he said adding that these remittances could be increased if more skilled and required labour was sent abroad.

Malik while referring to 2017 national population census said that about 64percent population of our country comprised youth including 40.3pc on young population aged 15 to 29 years and the youth population bulge was likely to double in 2050 for which thousands of jobs would be required for them in government and private sectors.

He said the demands for technical workforce in Pakistan has jacked up due to CPEC’s projects and establishment of special economic zones (SEZ) including the one Rashakai SEZ in Nowshera being a gateway to Central Aisan Republics through Afghanistan that would turned KP a hub of business and industrialization.

“CPEC has the potential to generate 1.2 million direct jobs for youth especially in agriculture, food, tourism, mineral processing, oil and gas and socioeconomic services in Pakistan and “we need to divert financial resources towards strengthening of technical educational institutes to tap this huge potential of youth.”

Ikhtair Wali Khan, PMN KP spokesman said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has launched scores of programmes and initiatives for promotion of technical education and empowerment of youth including provision of 2,000 Internships for young engineers, youth transformation programs for 20 under developed districts Pakistan including KP, innovation fund and 75 National Top Talent Scholarships Programme besides free laptop schemes, adding 600 students were sent to China for technical education to take full advantage of CPEC’s projects.

He accused the former PTI government for its lackluster approach and poor investment in the technical education sector as they failed to implement a uniformed education system and fulfill financial requirements of technical and vocational training institutes despite raising tall hollow slogans of education reforms.

Engr Sajjad Khan, who was recently transferred from Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority KP as MD said whopping financial resources were required for construction of technical educational institutes and strengthening of existing ones in the newly established districts of Torghar, Kolai Palas and seven districts of merged areas in terms of infrastructure, equipment and training of faculty. Focus should be made on infrastructure development, equipment, furniture, purchase of transport’s buses for facilitation of students and solarization of technical educational institutions in the province.

To promote technical education for self employment, he said that TEVTA KP had signed agreements with 32 reputable private organizations including Welfare Relief Committee and National Institute for Health and Management Sciences Peshawar, North West Institute of Health and Management Sciences Peshawar, Premier Institute for Health and Management Sciences Peshawar, Udyana Institute of Medical Sciences Abbotabad and Udyana Institute of Medical Sciences Swat.

He said thousands of students of merged tribal districts and KP were provided two-years professional educational training in nine different paramedical technologies.

He said Rs1 billion projects were launched for purchase of equipment and other related schemes of TEVTA projects, adding the TEVTA’s budget which was only Rs3 billion in 2016-17 has been swelled to Rs seven billion during current fiscal year.

KP Government has announced establishment of a sub-campus of the National College of Arts (NCA) at Peshawar and with its establishment, the students of KP would not go to Lahore for five years studying architecture, fine arts, ceramic and textile courses and would study their favourite subjects near their homes.