In the previous part of this OpEd series, the German educational structure has been explored as a vanguard of a successfully developed economy. In this piece, the educational paradigm of China, which represents a successful human resource development model among the newly industrialised developing economies, is dissected.
Chinese decision-makers have also put technical education and vocational training at the centre of its economic transformation plan. China, an economy of USD 18.32 trillion, with a per capita income of USD 21,921, is ranked in the 22nd and 54th position with reference to education and healthcare (LPI 2020) in the world.
Primary education starts at the age of 6-7 and comprises six years. After that, three years are spent in junior secondary school and another three in senior secondary school. Chinese education planners are laying a heavy focus on increasing enrollment in vocational institutions to ease admission pressure on the universities and support an expanding economy. Under the educational reform tenets, polytechnic colleges were to give priority to admitting secondary vocational and technical school graduates and providing on-the-job training for qualified workers. Education reformers continued to press for the conversion of about 50 per cent of upper secondary education into vocational education, which traditionally had been weak in the rural areas. Regular senior middle schools were to be converted into vocational middle schools, and vocational training classes were to be established in some senior middle schools. The diversion of students from academic to technical education was intended to alleviate skill shortages and reduce the competition for university enrollment.
China has attained an adult literacy rate of over ninety per cent and is consciously making efforts to equip its manpower with the relevant technical skills and vocational training to sustain the accelerated growth in more than three hundred vocational trades of the lower skill set. Normally, children are encouraged to follow the formal education stream till junior secondary school, where the first lateral exit is allowed to join the professional stream.
Despite policy proclamations, general education, especially skills development, has remained a low priority with inadequate funding.
Contrary to the comparative HRD profile of Germany and China, Pakistan appears to have done the least in this regard. The country has the 42nd biggest economy in terms of nominal GDP, with USD 6662 per capita income (PPP 2022 est). As compared to the above two successful models, Pakistan occupies the overall 164th position in the education and healthcare system. Despite policy proclamations, general education, especially skills development, remained a low priority with inadequate funding. Results are obvious, as reflected by various indicators. Nevertheless, we can still reap the benefits by implementing the right set of policies and strategies backed by sufficient funds leading towards sustainable growth in the light of international experience.
Recommendations: The curriculum should be periodically updated, keeping in view the social and growth aspects. A mechanism should be there to update the curriculum at regular intervals. The learning environment should be conducive in order to minimise dropouts and to help improve the quality of education. Missing facilities need to be continuously improved to provide all the basic infrastructure facilities, which any decent-level school must contain. Most importantly, focus on teacher training is a prerequisite for any quality education.
Likewise, NAVTTC is to play a dynamic and proactive role to ensure standardisation across regions. Supra bodies are also required at the provincial level that can act as a coordinator and facilitators for various TVET bodies working in provinces. Provision of adequate funds to have better facilities, the latest laboratory equipment and adequate physical infrastructure facilities. Periodic updating of curricula to meet the ever-growing changing requirements of the market. Courses offered should be market-based and as per the demand of the industry to overcome shortages of skilled labour as well to ensure quick job provision for the new graduates. Non-traditional and tech-based courses may also be introduced. Proactive measures need to be taken to facilitate the participation of women in these courses, which may include a targeted selection of courses, scholarships and hostel facilities.
In the short term, the focus may be given to priority sectors, where growth is expected in line with the priorities of government and CPEC i.e. Housing, Agriculture and Energy. Aptitude tests may be introduced at the secondary school level so that students and their parents may be given the option to jump from mainstream to technical education based on the student’s aptitude.
Thus, it is the need of the hour to synchronise and network the coordinated policy efforts to develop an economically productive, locally-relevant and need-responsive workforce by placing human resource development at the centre of the socio-economic development policy framework, in the light of the Incheon Declaration 2015.
(Concluded)
The writer was formerly associated with APS Bahawalpur and can be reached at [email protected].