Azad Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan has said that to address growing unemployment it is pertinent to impart vocational and technical education along with traditional education.
He added that developing a skilled human resource will enable new avenues of employment and development to open up in AJK.
The president said this during the meeting with Director General National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), Muqeem Islam who called on the President here at Kashmir House.
President Masood Khan said that with five public sector universities, three medical colleges, two cadet colleges and scores of postgraduate colleges, AJK also enjoys an 85 percent literacy score. He said that unemployment can be readily addressed by providing students with essential and practical technical education. He added that with the upcoming projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor the demand for technically skilled human resource will rise exponentially providing the youth with ample opportunities for employment.
The president said that technically advanced nations like Germany, Japan, China, Brazil and others stress upon technical education and make it a part of their curricula. He said that the AJK government will avail this opportunity and with the help of NAVTTC and the Federal Government, Azad Kashmir will accelerate the promotion of technical education. He stressed upon the immediate need to impart technical education in the fields of tourism, hospitality, hotel management construction and other similar disciplines.
DG NAVTTC informed the President about the plans to further enhance the performance of vocational training institutes all over Pakistan in order to reduce unemployment in the country. In this regard, youth will be equipped with technical skills, make them eligible to earn money. Technical centres, he said, would also be established in Madrassas so that the students could be equipped with technical skills besides religious education.