Population explosion, unemployment: Govt must help produce highly skilled manpower: TEVTA chief

FAISALABAD: Pakistan must invest in its most precious human resource to face the multiple challenges of population explosion and increasing unemployment due to corona and global meltdown, said Engineer Asim Munir, Chairman BoM (Board of Management), Technical Education & Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) Faisalabad & Chiniot.

He said that skill providers must focus on equipping our youth with hi-tech skill so that they could independently operate and also conduct routine maintenance of the new machines with extra features of robotic and artificial intelligence.

He appreciated the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan and paid best tribute to Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Ali Salman Siddique, Chairman TEVTA Punjab who are seriously working on this multidimensional project.

He said that TEVTA has already upgraded the syllabus of different courses in consultation with the industrialists so that their need of skill manpower could be fulfilled in addition to accommodating the job seekers in the local industrial units.

He lamented that our education system has inherent faults and a majority of students are still studying outdated non-productive subjects.

“Thus, they are unable to become successful entrepreneurs and their only available choice is to run after jobs”, he said and added that a paradigm shift is required to sensitize this huge chunk of our population to get technical education and play their productive role in the national economy.

He suggested that at least one male and one female technical school must be established in each Tehsil which could produce highly skilled manpower.

He said that instead of spending huge capital on the construction of new school buildings, we could utilize the existing schools while evening classes could also be started for the on-job workers to upgrade their skills.

He said that international organizations are ready to fund such projects and the Government must conduct a comprehensive feasibility study to pave the way for funding of this project. “Skilled HR could also be exported to earn precious foreign exchange for the country”, he concluded.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021