BR Research: Tell us about the mission of Hunar Foundation and how did this idea emerge? Admiral Azhar Husain (Retd): We wanted to know what happens to these boys and girls when they complete their schooling, after matriculation. We found that most of the boys come from areas where there is no importance of education their families are backward; they generally drop out mainly because of affordability. So, we thought that they must be engaged in ways and means where they can be skilled because then they can earn their livelihood.
So, the founding members put their heads together and after deliberations, surveys and visits of various institutions within the country and then going abroad to Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Germany and having looked at their vocational training institutes; they decided to set up vocational training institute, so that these children become skilled, that too at international standards.
In Pakistan there are more than 1,000 institutes that are providing diploma courses mostly in public sector. Within Sindh there are more than 250 public institutions but the standard is not really meeting the requirement. So, the founding members of The Hunar Foundation got their institute registered in 2008 as a not-for-profit organisation. Having done that, they started planning a small institute which is this present one, DMS technical institute and it is the part of DMS technical school.
This was an abundant area and it has been developed and rejuvenated by a prominent architect who is also a founding member, Shahid Abdullah. His elder brother, Arshad Abdullah who expired 2 years ago, was also the main man behind the TCF School thus whole of it was done by him. Now, you can see a fine institute, meeting the international standard.
All our students get registered with the Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority, hence, all the students have to go through the examinations conducted at the end of the year. Students appear in the G3 level technical course of Sindh Government that is the basic education.
Amongst the candidates, those boys that are better, we make them appear in the City and Guild examination, which is a UK-based organisation that has got registration of vocational institutes from more than 120 countries throughout the world; they are a reputable organisation of UK and we meet their standards they have registered our organisation and they conduct our examination.
The one year course is conducted in two levels, six months each. At the end of the year these boys go for an internship in the local industry. We are conducting training in five areas at this facility, including mechanical fittings and plant maintenance, refrigeration and air conditioning, plumbing, electrical insulation, and welding and fabrication.
For women empowerment, we have been allocated a big plot of one-and-a-half acre near Hill Park by the Delhi Mercantile Society. Its construction will start soon, as plans have been drawn. This would be exclusively for women and girls who would be trained out there.
The first five-year plan covers the whole country whether in Baluchistan or in Punjab or in Sindh. For madrassah students, after completing 'hifz' and 'nazra' at the age of twelve or thirteen, they join the secondary school classes and go through the matriculation system; those boys who have completed their matriculation then join vocational training.
BRR: What kind of curriculum would they have in a typical class?
AH: They would be studying English, Urdu and Mathematics, thereafter they would join the school that TCF is building. We are introducing one or two technical subjects to their course, which include technical drawing and the use of electrical and mechanical tools.
BRR: In Malaysia madrassahs and schools work together to provide a holistic education to students. In your opinion, how can be multiple educational systems merged in a single curriculum in Pakistan?
AH: This particular subject comes in public sector and they are considering this. However, they have not been very successful. You are right, in Malaysia they have done this with the help of Islamic Development Bank that integrated madrassahs into the educational system and provided them with technical training. We have been communicating here with two or three madrassahs but they will have to buy this and comprehend the whole thing of getting skilled. But, they have yet to make a shift. This is one big handicap, in my opinion. We have invited them but they are not that comfortable with this environment
We took the first step and in these two places, Karachi and Lahore, we are doing the same thing. But, it will take some time. We now show them that boys, who take training from here, have some skill in them and they start of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 a month.
BRR: But how can these students enter directly into higher classes without primary education?
AH: They get elementary education from their madrassah; and schools to have small courses which students can take and then join higher classes. I know a madrassah in Lahore where students are taught English and Mathematics for one to two hours everyday.
The issue is that these vocational training institutions require a lot of capital compared to normal schools. You also need to have workshops, tools, wirings, electrodes, etc. One has to account for this aspect too. The monthly expenses per child are Rs 7,000; so we ask them to pay at least Rs 1,000 per month and the remaining Rs 6,000 would be a student loan. Once you get employed, then you start paying back interest-free over a period of two to three years.
BRR: Are the students paying back?
AH: The first two batches are, but, of course, this cannot be guaranteed.
BRR: Does The Hunar Foundation help students get recruited by companies outside Pakistan?
AH: Yes, we do. In effect, we are in contact with two organisations: one in Islamabad and the other in Karachi; and they are processing the case for sending our technicians to Libya and the Middle East. In our boards we have people who are in steel and construction business in Karachi, Lahore and Dubai so they advise us on recruitment. We are focusing on these five trainings because they are marketable and have a demand. If someone in the industry comes to us with a special requirement, we account that.
BRR: Are you giving any certificate, since a certificates adds a lot of value to a simple plumber as this guarantees that he is the right person for the job.
AH: This is what we are aiming for. As you know in foreign countries you cannot touch any system at home or work unless you have a valid certificate. In two to three years, we have developed a good reputation so now two to three months before internship there are companies that come in and interview these boys.
BRR: How many students do you have here and what is the span of training here?
AH: We have the capacity of 200 students, a hundred each in the morning and afternoon shifts. At present we have about 190 students. Their studies are conducted over the period of one year, besides which they also work an internship for six months.
BRR: Is there a regulatory board for such institutes?
AH: In Pakistan there is a body called Pakistan National Vocational Training Authority and in all the provinces it has local boards. They have their own way of registering them and certifying them. Here, we have the Sindh National Vocational Training Authority, which offers a one-year G3 course.
BRR: From where can we get the data about how many people are going abroad after such trainings?
AH: We too are looking for such data but we cannot find any data that is credible enough. However, the biggest indicator is the remittances but that too does not show the source. For the data, Punjab is more organised and Baluchistan is the least. Sindh is better, but Punjab is miles ahead in terms of data and website management there statistics are more credible.
BRR: What challenges do these organisations face?
AH: Unawareness of people. They do not really appreciate what they can get out of this. We have to do big campaigns in colleges, schools and universities; we tell them that you can be benefited with very little financial input, so, that is the biggest challenge: to attract them. But, luckily the situation has improved over the last couple of years.
BRR: Is there co-ordination within NGOs to build capacities?
AH: Not much, I would like to say that we have a five-year plan if someone wants to come join us in this noble cause, they are more than welcome. This is the first institute and then the second one is coming up in Lahore and another is being developed in Rashidabad. It is a big complex and it is being developed by Air Commodore Shabir Khan aka 'Angel Shabir'; he has done a lot of social work. Then we are also trying to link up with the Sindh Government under the public private partnership policy in which we can take control of one of their vocational training institutes.
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