Maryam Nawaz, the Minister of State for Education and Training and former Chairperson of Prime Minister's Youth Development Programme, while presenting certificates to top position holders of skilled youth programme stated that the one-year training programme for educated youth would soon be launched. She added that internees of the programme would be from public and private institutions as well as students from religious seminaries who meet the Higher Education Commission's criteria. Maryam Nawaz spoke succinctly and well and pointed out that she had ensured that the programme would not be dedicated to PML-N supporters only and emphasised that it was a programme meant for all Pakistanis.
The programme envisages training 50,000 youth who have at least 16 years of education. In the first phase, each internee would be given a stipend of 2000 rupees per month but in the second phase, the internee would be given 2500 rupees per month. To encourage those in Federally Administered Tribal Areas to take advantage of this scheme the monthly stipend envisaged is 3000 rupees per month. Training has been imparted to 25,000 youth in 100 trades so far reflecting the fact that each training programme is tailored to the special requirements of each intern. In other words, much thought has been given to the programme.
Those who dismiss her contribution by maintaining that she is not qualified to undertake such a challenging job and that her eligibility for the position is determined solely by her relationship to the Prime Minister must acknowledge that throughout the world celebrities either in their own right or those closely associated with a famous person are selected to garner interest in and elevate welfare programmes. The actress, Angelina Jolie, was appointed as Special Envoy of UN High Commissioner for Refugees in 2001 and has carried out more than 40 field missions including one in 2010 to Pakistan. Closer to home Benazir Bhutto appointed her husband Asif Ali Zardari as the environment minister with the objective of raising the profile of that ministry and Asif Ali Zardari appointed his school going daughter Asifa Bhutto Zardari as ambassador on polio eradication. And Maryam Nawaz's most persistent critic when she was appointed as chairperson of the Prime Minister's loan scheme, Imran Khan appointed his wife as ambassador to street children in a highly sanitised ceremony indoors presided over by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister.
Imran Khan, however, would probably defend his earlier attack on Maryam Nawaz by pointing out that while she had access to a 100 billion rupee fund his wife would not be granted access to funds. But Khan must surely have been informed that the loan scheme that was proposed by the Sharif administration envisaged extending loans on criteria that would have rendered the vulnerable ineligible as it required collateral as well as guarantors and was therefore doomed to failure. Khan's criticism as well as that of others merely allowed Maryam Nawaz to gracefully bow out of a scheme that was unsuccessful. And one would like to remind Khan that street children are one of the most vulnerable groups in our society and without funds it is unlikely that his wife would be able to make any difference.
Be that as it may, the youth training programme must be fully supported and one would hope expanded over time. It is after all youth who must be trained to develop skills for jobs that the economy needs which would fuel development in the country and at the same time tackle religious fundamentalism that is fuelled by unemployment and poverty.
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