The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has introduced a bill in the provincial legislature for giving legal cover to the establishment of Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) in the province.
The purpose of the authority is to impart such technical education and vocational skills through institutions under its administrative and regulatory control, which is based on syllabi acceptable internationally, is accredited with international institutions, is responsive to the market needs and provide internationally acceptable hands on experience to its trainees.
The Act called the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Technical and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) Act, 2015 would apply to all the public sector technical institutions and vocational training centres except colleges of commerce, business administration or management sciences in the province.
After the notification of the establishment of TEVTA in the official Gazette, TEVTA would, except colleges of commerce, business administration or management sciences, take over the administrative and regulatory control over all colleges, institutes and centres by whatever name called, imparting technical education and vocational trainings and which are working under the administrative and regulatory control of Directorate General of Technical Education and Manpower Training Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, immediately before existence of the authority.
It would be a corporate body with main office at Peshawar and may have such other regional offices at such places in the province as the government may deem appropriate. On the commencement of this Act, the Directorate may be detached from industries, Commerce and Technical Education Department of the government all the employees recruited in the Directorate along-with sanctioned posts may be transferred to TEVTA on such terms and conditions, which may not be less favourable than those admissible to them immediately before their transfer to TEVTA.
The Commerce Wing of the Directorate may be attached with the Higher Education Department of the provincial government for the disposal of official business. The employees working in the Directorate on deputation may be transferred back to their parent institutions and the posts they are working may be transferred to TEVTA.
The employees working in the colleges, institutions or centres taken over the TEVTA shall continue to work in the said colleges, institutions or centres, as the case may be, on such terms and conditions which may not be less favourable than those admissible to them immediately before their transfer to TEVTA.
On the commencement of this Act, all the civil servants serving in the Directorate or in the colleges, institutions and centres taken over by the TEVTA, may be given an option either to continue to serve as civil servant or may opt for the employment of TEVTA. The option may be exercised within a period of ninety days after the commencement of this Act. Those employees, who do not opt for their absorption in the TEVTA, may serve the TEVTA on their existing terms and conditions.
The service matters of the all employees may be regulated in accordance with the regulations made under this Act and all assets and liabilities including furniture, fixture, machinery, vehicle etc of the directorate may be transferred to TEVTA. The administration, management and general control of the TEVTA and its affairs may vest in the Board of Directors, which may exercise all powers and do all acts and things to further the objective of the TEVTA. The Government may be notification constitute the Board of Directors, which may consist of a Chairman and such other members.
The chairman may be appointed by government, having a graduate degree from recognised university in the field of engineering/technology having twenty years active industrial management experience and may not be less than forty-five (45) years and not more than sixty-five (65) years of age.
The members may be included, secretaries, industries, commerce and technical education department, Finance Department, Planning and Development Department and Labour Department; a representative of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI), Industrialist Associations, Peshawar, Hattar, Gadoon Industrial Estate, large scale manufacturers, skill development council, Peshawar, private sector technical and vocational training institutions, Directorate of Bureau of Immigration and Overseas Employment, Overseas Employment Promoters Agencies, All Pakistan Contractors Association, a chairman of the institute management committee and Managing Director.
The term of the office of the Chairman and members may be three years; provided that one third of the members, other than chairman, may cease to be members after completion of two years, in whose place new members may be appointed for a period of three years in the same manner as was applied in the case of out-going members. The names of such out-going members may be decided by a draw.
The chairman may cease to hold office on attaining the age of sixty-five years or expiry of the term whichever is earlier, or by tendering resignation or may remove on the grounds of inefficiency or misconduct after giving him an opportunity of being heard.
The powers and functions of the board may be included to set up new institutions to offer such subjects or courses as demanded by the market needs; develop reliable mechanism for ascertaining need of the national and international market for specific skills to be imparted through institutions under administrative and regulatory control of TEVTA, take steps to up-grade teaching abilities, skills and pedagogy of teaching staff; develop mechanism to up-grade teaching machinery or equipment to the extent required by trainings of internationally acceptable standards; enter into commercial ventures by promoting public private partnerships; promote entrepreneurship and self-employment, take steps to make TEVTA system financially independent of government; for the purpose of attaining financial independence, the board may outsource any of its services or institute in such a manner, as may be prescribed by the rules made under this Act.
It would also create objective linkages with Institute Management Committees for the purpose of market oriented quality trainings; allocate its funds on annual basis for infrastructure development and other required incidental expenditure in furtherance to the objective of improving quality of technical education and gainful employment of the trained workforce; take measures, including the allocation of funds, for the establishment of scholarships and stipends for students of and training of teachers abroad and within the country; regulate quality control for implementation of skills standards, syllabi, trade testing and certification of vocational and technical training institutions; approve the development projects up-to a ceiling fixed and notified by the government; establish institution-industry linkages; generate funds by introducing or arranging special courses by opening service outlets; exercise and perform powers and functions which are needed to improve quality of technical education and vocational training for gainful employment or trained youth in accordance with rules and such other powers and functions in the field of technical education and vocational training as may be assigned by government.