REALIZING the importance of demographic dividend because of the surging population of the youth, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Friday expressed his resolve to empower the youth as this a key to ensure development and prosperity of Pakistan. Addressing the launching ceremony of the laptop programme in Islamabad, he said the youth of the country were capable enough to transform the country’s fate as with their hard work and dedication, they could help Pakistan develop at a faster pace leaving its neighbouring country far behind in terms of economic development.
There is no denying the fact that countries like Japan and South Korea achieved fast track development mainly because of their right and consistent focus on human capital and in turn the skilled and trained people made efficient use of other resources like land and capital. The investment in human development enabled the population to evolve technologies that helped place their countries in the folds of developed nations. Pakistan too has this potential and some policies introduced by past governments raised hopes of a breakthrough but such expectations could not materialize because of disruption in policies and programmes. Noted scholars like Dr. Attaur Rehman have been urging the Government to allocate handsome resources for higher education, science and technology, research and development and skills development as these are the areas with potential to make a big difference for the overall economy of the country and financial empowerment of the people. In fact, the progress that the country today witnesses in IT and telecom was the direct result of the visionary policies introduced by Dr Attaur Rehman during his tenure as Minister for S&T but momentum could not be maintained by the successive governments. It is also a reality that the PML(N), whenever it came to power, also devised policies for promotion of education and skills development. Like motorways and highways, it launched various programmes including the famous laptop scheme which fulfilled educational needs of the ordinary students but regrettably these were ridiculed by political opponents. The laptop and other schemes including targeted scholarships become highly relevant in the backdrop of rising cost of education and such programmes should receive universal support as these offer opportunity to children from disadvantaged segments of the society to pursue their studies as per their own dreams and capabilities.
