ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government is committed to providing better education, skills, employment and business opportunities to the country’s youth.
The remarks came during a review meeting chaired by the prime minister on ongoing projects under the Prime Minister Youth Programme and proposed initiatives for the coming year.
Addressing participants, Shehbaz Sharif said the government is increasing efforts to provide world-class education and training in information technology and other sectors.
He directed the Higher Education Commission and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication to present a comprehensive strategy to align IT education in universities with international standards.
The prime minister said the youth programme should focus on technical and vocational training to create employment opportunities for young people both within Pakistan and abroad.
He also instructed officials to bring various easy loan schemes for young entrepreneurs under one umbrella and directed the youth programme to work with the Ministry of Industries and Production for provision of electric bikes to low and middle-income youth.
Shehbaz Sharif praised Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan and his team for their performance in implementing youth initiatives.
Officials informed the meeting that more than 800,000 young people and over 2,000 institutions have registered on the Digital Youth Hub, while more than 4,800 applications are being received daily.
The briefing stated that under the Prime Minister Youth Business and Agriculture Loans scheme, over 287,000 young people have so far received loans worth Rs122.5 billion, creating more than 900,000 job opportunities.
Participants were also informed that Pakistan’s first Youth and Adolescent Policy, first Youth Employment Policy and first National Youth Council have been prepared under the prime minister’s leadership.
The meeting further reviewed initiatives related to mixed martial arts, FIFA Arena and e-sports under the youth programme.