ISLAMABAD: The Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, directed all the stakeholders to prepare a National Human Resource Strategy within the next few months and share it with provinces for implementation.

The National Task Force on Human Resource and Skill Development convened its second meeting, chaired by Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Friday, to discuss a comprehensive national HR development strategy.

The meeting was attended by the Secretary Planning Commission, Members Planning Commission, and officials from the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), and National University of Technology (NUTECH).

Other stakeholders in attendance included representatives from the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association (POEPA), and Pakistan Software Exchange Board (PSEB).

Minister Iqbal directed all stakeholders to prepare a National Human Resource Strategy within the next few months and share it with provinces for implementation.

He emphasised the need for improving the education sector, stating, "Unless we make a united effort to consider education one of our top national targets, we cannot change the current state and quality of education."

The minister also highlighted the need for connecting the labour workforce with the right opportunities, noting that 50 percent of Pakistan's current labour workforce is confined to Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries.

He advised relevant ministries and departments to create opportunities for sending labour to other countries in need of skilled labour.

Minister Iqbal stressed that the strategy must include a vision for training teachers effectively to bridge the gap of illiteracy, saying, "The strategy must include a vision of how many teachers need to be trained effectively to bridge the gap of illiteracy."

He also emphasised the importance of adopting target-based approaches to improve the quality of Pakistani human resource, stating, "The development of human resources is the key to the development of nations... adopting target-based approaches to improve the quality of Pakistani human resource is the only way forward to enhance workforce progress."

The meeting concluded with a commitment to creating a National Human Resource Strategy based on domain-specific recommendations from all departments.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024