Pakistan is Failing to Utilize the Potential of a Massive Youth

A lady is typing on Mac book.

Pakistan – a country with 60 per cent of the youth population, which is less than thirty-year-old, and most of them are unemployed. In the 2000s, during the period of the Musharraf as a President, took the initiative to educate more and more people. He launched many technical institutes, but, now all in vain. There are many reasons behind all of this phenomenon a significant purpose is an economic shift. The change of government laid a massive effect on society. There are millions of students enrolled in training institutes.

The TEVTA (Technical Education & Vocational Training Authority) is working in Pakistan, which trains the massive influx of youth, since its creation. However, a skilled one is useless if he is not needed in the industry. It is estimated that during the last decade, around 30 million students enrolled in TEVTA affiliated colleges. They offer programs of many duration; one, three, and six months; one or 3-year diploma with all that why poverty and unemployment are still prevalent in every part of the country.

The primary focus of the Musharraf regime was on development; in his era, millions of dollars of projects were initiated. There was a shortage of skilled labour. After the completion of a short course, the candidate immediately got a job. Therefore, It helped millions of people and gave the source of income to them. However, everything changed suddenly; so, a shift occurred in government.

The fall in demand for skilled labour began as PPP took charge of the state. However, he didn’t halt all of the projects.

In 2013, as Nawaz Sharif become Prime Minister of Pakistan; he initiated many development projects under provincial and federal governments. Most prominently, Metro Bus project which allowed thousands of people. Another example is the Orange Line Train project.

As Imran Khan takes control of the country, ninety per cent of the budget of development projects is stopped. Most of the government policies are aligned with to get rid of the debt trap. The significant chunk of the revenue pf Pakistan is reserved for payment of debts, which are pending for three decades. Therefore, many projects are halted due to lack of budget; it also increases unemployment.

To encapsulate, the policies of the new Prime Minister also profoundly affected other industries. Such as the automobile industry; it is estimated that they are facing labour surpluses. They are trimming their labour force day by day. There is a fear among the general public, either they are skilled or not, there is no opportunity here.

Why does the Poverty Alleviation Program fail in Pakistan?

sleeping poor man

Many programs were initiated by different leaders to alleviate poverty from Pakistan; but, none of them has to change the financial status of the state.

There are many reasons for it. In the 1960s, if the financial position of the country wasn’t prosperous, albeit it wasn’t insignificant debt trap. She gave a loan of $8 million to Germany, however, how it plunged into a debt trap.

During the early years, the economic position of Pakistan was neither good nor bad. After independence from British Raj, it was time to excel in all parts of life without any constraint of any religion. But the politicians didn’t make it happen.

Benazir Income Support Programme

The PPP introduced the Benazir Income Support Programme; it is still operational, but it does not address all the inhabitants of Pakistan. If we see from one point of view, it helps to feed the poor, albeit it is short term. Under the BISP, they give six thousand once in three months. It can help to buy a few eatable items for weeks but do not increase in their source of income.

e-Rozgaar

The Punjab Information Technology Board initiated the e-Rozgaar program in 2016. It laid a significant impact on the remittance. The program is for those individuals who are unemployed even after graduation. It is the most considerable poverty alleviation program which helped in many families; gave rozgaar (job) to literate ones, enhance their skill-set.

PM Laptop Scheme

The former Prime Minister Mina Muhammad Nawaz Sharif also took many initiatives to overcome poverty. The PM Laptop scheme is also has had a great impact to remove ignorance from the country. It is the era of the digital world. It changed the trends of learning, entertainment, and doing business. A few students of metric and onward get a laptop in this scheme.

To conclude, with all these projects, the financial position of the state is still severe; it is plunged into a debt trap. The youth, particularly the educated ones, are sitting in there home and waiting for some miracle to happen. There is no rozgaar unless you make it.