Vocational Education – Engaging Youth To Earn Respectable Living
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published December 29, 2024 | 12:10 PM
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Dec, 2024) PESHAWAR: Just oblivious to chappli kabab and qehwa getting cold on side table of his workshop, Zafar Ali, an electrician in Pabbi town of Nowshera district, was busy in repairing geysers, gas heaters and electric rods to deliver these appliances to owners as per deadline.
As the day dawns, Zafar Ali rushes to his electric workshop on his motorbike every morning no matter the weather is cold or foggy in winters or it is scorching heat of summer, with tester and pliers in hand and diagnosing faults in these appliances with the help of his two assistants.
Busy like a honey bee the whole day and commonly known as ‘Ustad’, after having years’ long skill and experience in repairing multiple home appliances, Zafar not only runs his own workshop but also help out other mechanics in tracing faults in appliances running their shops.
“After completing DAE in electronics from Government Technical Institute Peshawar, I setup a small workshop in a room of my house for repairing electric appliances a few years back,†Zafar informed. “But, now I have a modern workshop in Pabbi where five other people are also employed.â€
“By gradually expanding my business, now I have started houses electrification that makes me earn more profit as I charge around Rs 50,000 for one 10 marla house electric wiring. However, these charges vary in urban and rural areas,†he said.
"I am satisfied with my business and even refused foreign visas offered by construction companies,†he said and suggested to promote vocational education to enable our youth to establish their businesses and earn respectful living locally instead of going abroad and work in inhumane conditions.
Zafar is an example for our migrants proceeding abroad illegally even at the risk of their lives as well as for the governments who must revisit their policies and focus this sector for preparing technical hands who can earn respectable living indigenously.
As the Federal Government has significantly improved the vocational education system in recent years, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa still lags behind due to poor investment, outdated curriculum and insufficient faculty to meet modern day labor market needs.
“Poor investment, outdated syllabus and lackluster patronage to vocational education and professional training contributed to increase in unemployment, illiteracy and poverty,†remarked Professor Dr Naeem ur Rehman, former Chairman Economics Department University of Peshawar.
He claimed that although slightly yet unemployment rate in country was increasing and according to 2017 national population census, major portion of our population is youth for whom hundreds of thousands jobs would be required in next decade or two.
He emphasized to specially focusing vocational education and creating more jobs and small business opportunities within the country to save country from brain drain.
“When our youth visit GULF for employment, they spend normally eight months to two years to get LTV, HTV driving licenses and operational expertise for operating different machines.
He claimed that more than 11 million Pakistanis proceeded to over 50 countries till December 2019 to get employment after fulfilling official procedures and many among them would also be experts of their fields. “This trend would ultimately create dearth of experienced hands to execute important projects within the country.â€
He said CPEC alone has the potential to generate 1.2 million direct jobs for youth and “we need to divert financial resources towards strengthening technical educational institutes to tap this potential.â€
Meanwhile, PML-N MPA Sobia Shahid claimed that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has launched series of programs to promote technical and vocational education and empower youth. “These programs include2,000 Internships for young engineers, youth transformation programs for 20 under developed districts countrywide, innovation fund and Top Talent Scholarships Program, free laptop scheme besides sending 600 students to China for technical education.â€
She was however critical of the lackluster approach and poor investment of the PTI government in technical education as it failed to implement a uniformed education system and fulfill financial requirements of technical and vocational training institutes.
Engr Sajjad Khan, Managing Director Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority KP said massive finances were required to construct technical educational institutes and strengthening existing ones in Torghar, Kolai Palas and seven districts of merged areas.
He stressed special focus on infrastructure development, equipment, furniture, purchase of buses for students and solarization of technical educational institutions in the province.
“TEVTA KPK had signed agreements with 32 reputable private organizations to promote technical education for self-employment and thousands students of KP students were provided two-year professional educational training in nine different paramedical technologies,†he informed.
Abdul Karim Khan, Special Assistant to KP Chief Minister for Industries, Commerce, Vocational and Technical Education also mentioned to the government’s measures for promoting vocational education and starting education emergency program worth Rs 3.1 billion to arrest unemployment.
“Each child would receive monthly stipend of Rs 1,000 besides an option to enroll in registered private schools at the government expense and initially, 40,000 children from nine selected districts would benefit from this initiative,†he said.
“Approximately 50 million free textbooks would also be provided to children enrolling from grades 1 to 12 and 506 talented students would be granted ETEA scholarship.â€
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