Less than 2% Pakistanis getting vocational training

Islamabad, In the field of technical and vocational education, Pakistan has only 255,636 students who are getting education in 3,125 different vocational education and training institutes established all over the country.

Currently Pakistan educate 64 technicians out of  per one million population while other advanced countries annually trained around 1500 to 2500 technicians, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) report.

National Science Technology and Innovation (ST & I) Policy 2012 has stated that Pakistan has not got trained people according to the demands, yet Pakistan has made the setting up of Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) in Punjab and National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTEC) at the centre.

Pakistan Council of Science and Technology (PCST) Chairman Dr Mudassar Asrar said that NAVTEC has currently taken a step regarding crash programs which is a productive step in the accurate way. He further said that this advantage should be outspread in positive way.

Technical programs should be improved so as national requirement could be attained, as well as trained manpower for employment abroad could be manipulated.

The successful example of the Pak-Swiss Training Centre of Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) was a upright example of demand skill development.

PCST was also delivering funds for obtaining of less expensive spare parts as compared to other laboratories in the country, he added.

Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has decided to start ‘Education through Information Communication Technology (ICT)’ Program to instruct the masses online who are between 9-90 years old.
 
Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (ST & I) 2012 will manage this program sand will be free of cost for everyone who wants to learn.

Pakistan Council for Science and Technology ( PCST) Chairperson Dr. Mudasir Asrar while expressing his views said every citizen either he is 9 or 90, now will have access to education free of cost, even without going to school.
 
The program is planned to be as an online program and everyone will be able to get education even matric, by availing online courses and CDs, he added.