Lahore : Pakistan needs an awareness campaign for students and graduates for the promotion and importance of vocational training and technical education and a comprehensive policy should be evolved for 20 years.
These views were expressed by experts in the Jang Economic Session on ‘how public private partnership is possible for technical education and vocational training’ here. The panellists were Dr Shehla Javeed, Aima Mehmood, Kabir Ahmed, Sohail Lashari, Muhammad Ali Mian and Mian Fazal Ahmed while the session was hosted by Sikandar Lodhi.
Dr Shehla Javeed said that AHAN, Care and Pakistan Education Fund (PEF) are the appreciating projects by the governments for youths so the private sector should also play its active role in promotion of technical education. She appreciated the Punjab government steps for provision of vocational training as confidence could not be revived without ensuring employment to public. She said working women could be made part of a high-level fashion industry chain starting from cottage industry which will provide economic benefits to thousands of families.
Aima Mehmood said 75,000 education institutions and only 22 vocational institutions had exposed the government priorities towards it. She said poverty and unemployment are the major issues of Pakistan while change in education system is the need of the hour to control rapidly growing unemployment. She called for changing women approach from home-based stitching to modern technologies. Kabir Ahmed said socio-economic issues are worsening due to the poorly planned education policy so all the provinces and the federal government jointly should evolve a 20-year long education policy. He suggested ensuring skill and vocational education in Pakistan as economic growth targets could not be achieved without it. He appreciated the Punjab government’s performance and called for public private partnership in rural areas for skill development.
Sohail Lashari said youths were facing unemployment due to lack of vocational education and skill training. He believed that if youths would not be given employment it would become a threat to law and order. He demanded the vocational institutions to ensure employment besides training as well.
Muhammad Ali Mian said Malaysia, China, Thailand and many countries progressed with the need-based vocational education so Pakistan should also adopt same model. He said medical and engineering universities are examples of successful public private partnerships. He said good steps are taken for vocational training in Punjab but all provinces should act according to national requirement. Mian Fazal Ahmed said primary and secondary education has been made very expensive resultantly promoting the child labour. He called for ending red tape at the provincial level for the promotion of the public private partnership.
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