Moalims

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary body of National Assembly on Tuesday was informed that 50 percent of the students trained from National Vocational Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) are jobless due to flawed curriculum. The committee held its meeting in Parliament House with MNA Gulzar Khan on chair. While briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training, NAVTTC Executive Director Zulfikar Cheema told the committee that since 2006, over half a million of students got certificates/trainings from the NAVTTC designated institutions, where 25 percent got jobs, 25 percent are self-employed while 50 percent are jobless.

The committee was briefed on NAVTTC and National Commission for Human Development (NCHD). The NAVTTC executive director admitted that instead of demand-driven courses, supply driven course were focused in the past, however, now the policy has been reversed and the commission is focused on demand and market-driven trainings in consultation with the construction, textile and other sectors. Embassies in Middle East are also consulted to provide skilled labourers. The committee recommended teaching of different languages to students as labourers outside the country were confronting difficulties. MNA Shaista Pervaiz said that the NAVTTC has failed to deliver up to the mark and according to the investment made in it. The committee recommended making institutions functional and according to the international standards. Cheema said that technical training is the only solution to overcome unemployment.
The NCHD chairperson said that it supports the provincial governments in ensuring 100 percent enrolment, reducing dropout rate from 50 percent to less than 10 percent and ensuring quality education through teachers' training. Further NCHD sets up adult literacy centres in local communities providing basic literacy skills to the individuals, especially women, in the age group of 11-45, who were either never enrolled before or dropped out.
During the period from 2002 to 20011, NCHD remained present in 137 districts of Pakistan. In year 2011, NCHD adopted focused approach and a massive exercise of re-organisation was practiced and decisions were made including focused approach to achieve the EPA goals in the districts/tehsils having less than 50 percent literacy rate. The existing scale of universalisation of primary education programme will be maintained in the districts where the rate of literacy is more than 50 percent. 59 districts and 27 tehsils were taken for the implementation of literacy programme as a focus district approach. NCHD has covered 134 districts, supported enrolment of 13.86 million children, set up 6,581 feeder schools /teachers, while 281,154 students are there in feeder schools.
Till now, donations and grants of Rs 2.2 billion have been generated by NCHD/ PHDF through its Global Resource Mobilisation initiatives. Currently, the NCHD is running its 6,581 feeder school in 116 districts of Pakistan. The NCHD is establishing 100 feeder schools in madaris in federal areas of the country with the objective to provide formal education to the children. The 100-school project will be replicated in the other district on successful completion of the project. The detail of schools and children stood - the situation of literacy in the selected areas is not appreciable and it is as low as 25 percent in FATA flowed by 54 percent in GB, 62 percent in AJK and 87 percent in ICT.
The committee recommended that since majority of the population is in rural areas, therefore, training institutions should be established in the rural areas.

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