50 percent NAVTTC graduates jobless due to flawed curriculum: National Assembly panel informed

A parliamentary panel was informed on Tuesday that 50 percent students, who have been imparted training by National Vocational Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), are jobless due to flawed curriculum. Since 2006, over 0.5 million students got certificates/trainings from NAVTTC-designated institutions, of whom only 25 percent got jobs, 25 percent are self-employed while 50 percent are jobless, said executive director NAVTTC Zulfiqar Cheema while briefing the National Assembly standing committee on federal education and professional training.
The committee that met with Gulzar Khan in the chair was briefed on NAVTTC and National Commission for Human Development (NCHD). Cheema admitted that instead of demand-driven courses, supply driven courses were focused in the past, but, now the policy has been reversed and the commission is focused on demand and market-driven trainings in consultation with the construction, textile and other sectors.
"The embassies in Middle East are also consulted to provide skilled labourers," he added. The committee recommended teaching different languages to students as labourers outside the country face difficulties. MNA Shaista Pervaiz said that NAVTTC failed to deliver up to the mark and according to the investment made. The committee recommended making institutions functional and according to the international standards. Cheema said that technical training is the only solution to overcome unemployment.
Chairperson NCHD said that it supports the provincial governments in ensuring; 100 percent enrollment (age 5-7 years), reducing dropout rate from 50 percent to less than 10 percent and ensuring quality education through teachers' training. Further, NCHD sets up adult literacy centers in local communities providing basic literacy skills to the individuals (especially women) in the age group of 11-45, who were either never enrolled before or dropped out.
The existing scale of universalization of primary education program will be maintained in the districts where the rate of literacy is more than 50 percent, said the chairperson, adding that 59 districts and 27 Tehsils were taken for the implementation of literacy program as a focus district approach. NCHD has covered 134 districts, supported enrollment of 13.86 million children, set up 6,581feeder schools /teachers, while 281,154 students are there in feeder schools.
Till now, donations and grants of worth Rs 2.2 billion have been generated by NCHD/PHDF through its Global Resource Mobilization initiatives. Currently, NCHD is running its 6,581 feeder school in 116 districts of Pakistan. The situation of literacy in the selected areas is not appreciable and it is as low as 25 percent in FATA followed by 54 percent in GB, 62 percent in AJK and 87 percent in ICT. The committee recommended that since majority of the population is in rural areas, therefore training institutions should be established in the rural areas.