QUETTA: The Balochistan government has decided to initiate international standards education programs, naming Middle Teach, Metric Teach, and Inter Teach for out-of-school children, to equip the youth with modern skills with the support of development partners.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Minister for Education Qadir Bakhsh Baloch and Minister for Finance Amjad Rasheed said that the caretaker set up the program with the aim of providing technical skills to around 65 percent of out-of-school children in the province.
Qadir Bakhsh Baloch said the students from across the province would be imparted various technical courses of one-year duration free of charge with the support of development partners to produce quality technical human resources. He said the plan is also under consideration to launch education cards for out-of-school children, like a health card.
The government has also planned to revamp technical education instructions for modern technology, he said, adding that there are 20 to 2
4 technical education institutions that are out of date.
He said that the purpose of providing the training program was to equip them with much-needed, valuable skills that would enable them to contribute to the economic development of the province.
Minister for Finance and Revenue Amjad Rasheed, while addressing a press conference, said that over 20, 000 youth in the province have registered themselves so far to get modern skills in the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) under the Prime Minister’s Youth Skill Development Program.
In the first phase, the vocational training program has been initiated at ten colleges in the province to equip the youth of the province with technical skills, enabling them to earn a graceful livelihood.
After acquiring the necessary technical training, the pass-out students will be able to apply for jobs in the Middle East, Japan, and Europe and get better employment opportunities through their skills.
The minister said different avenues were bein
g opened for the talented youth of Balochistan to fully exploit these opportunities.
Amjad Rasheed said the objective of the program is to provide skills in various fields of technology to the youth of Balochistan to secure employment opportunities worldwide upon completion of their training and to send remittances to the country.
He said the Overseas Employment Promoters would establish an office in Quetta to facilitate the youth in getting jobs in the international market, which would also enhance the remittance share of Balochistan.
Amjad Rasheed said that there are limited jobs in government sectors and not every youth can be provided government jobs, which resulted in the increase in unemployment rates in the province.
He said the government has also planned to announce interest-free loan schemes for them for the establishment of start-ups.
The finance minister further said that in the health sector, nursing courses would also be launched and stressed that there is a need to guide the youth in a bet
ter direction and provide them with opportunities to advance.
Replying to a question, Minister Qadir Baksh Baloch said that 3300 primary schools have been closed due to the unavailability of teachers, as every month over 300 teachers have retired.
He said around 4000 schools would be shut down due to a shortage of teachers, as there are 14000 vacancies in the education department.
He said the decision would be presented in the interim cabinet to recruit teachers on a contract basis to cater to the need.
According to the decision, committees would be formed at the district level, consisting of deputy commissioners and the school’s principals, to appoint the staffers on a fixed-pay and contract basis.
Qadir Baksh said that a model school would be established in every district. He added that a summary would be moved to direct the commissioners, deputy commissioners, and district police officers to adopt a school in their respective districts.
The devastated floods have destroyed around 5000 schools, partia
lly or completely, and only a percent of them have been renovated so far, he concluded.