Daily Times

An opportunity can be a powerful key to the hidden treasure and just the right magic words can open the cave full of glittering wealth warranting the future of opulence, affluence, comfort and esteem. However, if not tapped and echoed with the right combination of codes, it can crumble down erupting havoc and burying down all the gold and glitz projecting an obstreperous future of reproach, mortification, obliteration and futility. Same is true for the most abundant and virtuous treasure of Pakistan – the youth.

We have been excitingly bragging and raving that currently Pakistan’s population constitutes its highest ever number of young people. According to UNDP’s report, currently, about 64 % of the population is younger than 30 years of age and 29 % fall in between the age bracket of 15 and 29. Pakistan now has more young people than it has ever had, and the trend is expected to remain upward until at least 2050.

Imagine almost 140 million fresh brains; a wellspring of inexhaustible energy, ideas, creativity, imagination, drive, ambitions, hope and strength which can adroitly pave the way and cement vistas of prosperity, wellbeing and pride for Pakistan. They can be the miracle to establish a society of peace, contentment, empathy and happiness by shackling away the vicious circle of poverty and derogation. Are we protecting, cultivating and nurturing this most prized possession in the most delicate, desired and cautious manner?

The rancor reality is that our young lot is unfortunately extremely undermined, demeaned and undervalued. Instead of handling their fragility with profound gentleness, care, warmth, mentorship, possessiveness, and gaiety, they are mostly hushed and shun away with a common nonchalant attitude of least concern, squelch, brash and disdain from the whole society. Befuddled with the lack of purpose, ambition and direction, the younger generation is lurking on its own luck and fate to become somebody, blast as a ticking bomb or burry as nobody.

1. Educational systems vandalizing young potential: Limited, obsolete and divergent educational systems is hatching future minds which are different in caliber, intellect, creativity, IQ, views and perception of the world, personal ambitions and ideology as well as the sense and consciousness of their civic, individual and social responsibilities. This disparity is not on the basis of their mental and physical capabilities but purportedly ensuing of the societal funnel of inequality they have been molded in and the disabling or enabling environment they have been thawing or thriving in.

A youngster taught and raised in a public sector educational system mostly lags behind in major affairs of life. The scuffle to discover one’s purpose and identity becomes an unrealistic illusion. The quality of teaching methodologies and study material, expertise and professional skills of the tutors, level and availability of extra and co-curricular activities, overall enabling or conservative institutional environment, focus on capacity building of the students, exposure and access to technical and modern study equipment etc. play a decisive role in the overall character and personality building of a student. And these are glaringly outdated or non-existent in the public sector institutions where the majority of our students swarm to.

We laud the exceptions of those few blessed students who make it either to the technical universities of engineering or medicine or get through CSS or qualify to join the armed forces. That’s fantastic indeeed, when son of a motor mechanic qualifies CSS or daughter of a cobbler tops the board exam but how many are these? A few hundreds in millions? Well, in a way it can be said that they are saved and have now achieved a path which can lead them to a lifelong financial security and social standing. Even though, a vacillating struggle starts for them afresh.

Influential family background and solid references or lack of integrity open up the doors of opportunity in terms of prized postings, timely promotions, prestigious assignments and career growth prospects which a youngster from a humble background or of an upright character does not enjoy. A long quest of proving one’s worth and webbing the professional network on the basis of brilliance and credibility become unending and nerve cracking.

A single homogenous educational system and uniformity in curriculum across the board are perhaps unrealistic, non- plausible and a wishful thinking but upgrading the quality, equality and access of public sector educational system by introducing modern tools, methodologies and mediums of instruction, rigorous focus on teachers’ training and expertise enhancement, use of modern technical modes of learning, emphasis on experiential learning along with decorative, innovative, fun oriented techniques to keep children interest and attention intact are highly realistic and need of the hour. An infallible forward-looking inclusive plan keeping next five decades in perspective focusing not only on missing infrastructure but on the superiority and modernity of learning and teaching material and methodologies dispensed on emergency basis can save our children from remaining average and ordinary their entire life, contributing in national building far less than their true potential.

2. Timely maneuver to save the break : Except the rudimentary career counseling and placement departments in universities, there is hardly any system or forum for a child and its parents to discover the child’s ability, talent and interest and respective guidance to polish its inner talent as well as make him excel in the field of its interest. For ages now, there is only one rule, if the child performs better, he is put in the barracks of sciences and others called NALAIK are left with arts subjects. There is no concept of a students’ extraordinary knack and talent for literature, arts or history at least in the early years of schooling.

Then at the university level, students are oblivious of future market demand of professionals, or country’s need of particular skillset and global trends of investment. Such research even if carried out is not available to the majority of the population. Average students have no other choice but to be admitted in traditional disciplines of business administration, law, computer studies, commerce and finance, media and communication or do regular masters in various subjects without any perception of market’s carrying capacity once they will be graduated.

Limited space in the good public universities and extravagant fees at high end private universities push students to fall prey to mushroom spread of low quality, least credible institutions where minting money is the sole aim. And the strength of students in these institutions is mind blowing. Over a period of a few years, some of these institutions have not only established big campuses but the number of enrolled students is sky rocketing. At some places as high as 35000-40,000 pupils. Unbelievable! Why do students come here? Because there is no other option and these institutions proudly say that they are lending a hand to government in providing higher education. How do they get university affiliations or are chartered as universities is another unfortunate tale or simply a mystery. Afterwards, securing a progressive job becomes an uphill task. The university’s name becomes a stigma on their resume and the disgruntled hearts indignantly accept positions far below their academic and professional caliber to at atleast get employed.

A proactively researched, compiled and consistently updated modern research and data base system to keep a vigilant watch and track of rolling national requirement of not only sector wise professionals but also of technicians, nurses and other allied staff can be instrumental in efficient space allocation eliminating over or under resourcing. Relevant stakeholders and prospective employers should be engaged to yield professionals equipped with required skillset. Global hiring and investment trends should be monitored to increase our professional and labor force overseas. Academic intake of students should be on the basis of these statistical figures.

Career guidance and coaching sessions should be mandatory from secondary schools onwards. Each child should be monitored, observed and evaluated not merely on the academic performance but its overall interest and intrinsic talent must be considered to identify future line of study and profession. Schools, colleges and universities should have psychological and social guidance centers to facilitate students, parents and teachers in this regard. This may sound fiction but this is absolutely possible to materialize. Each child must be handled with such watchfulness as a single piece of diamond is processed with extreme precision to obtain the exquisite piece of jewel.

3. Enterprising Personalities for an Enabling Environment: A competitive degree in flying colors but the candidate hardly ever makes it to the second round of the interview. Reason; lack of communication skills, inability to converse in English fluently and convincingly. Struggle with the choice of vocabulary and appropriate grammar snatches away self-confidence displaying a shabby impression of the personality.

It’s a daunting and crippling Achille’s heel which compel a large number of fairly qualified youngsters to sit behind the counter of their forefathers’ butcher shop with a crying heart, tightly crunched lips and stoned eyes. The frustration of these tumultuous young souls is the worst of kind as they now feel misfit in their family’s occupation as well as in the society which is not effusively welcoming them in the due ranks. Imagine the desperation of that boiling mind who with the dreams of changing his life towards a more respectable profession is bound to wash laundry at DHOBI GHAT or sit at the junk yard as that’s what his family has been doing for ages only because of his impotency in a non-native but the official language of the land.

In order to prepare well-spoken enterprising future leaders irrespective of their social status, exclusive communication, presentation and personality grooming sessions should be commenced from the early levels of schooling. Habit of reading meaningful books should be promoted to enhance language ability. For developing better understanding of the subject matter, introducing the regional language at primary level might be a good policy but exonerating the tender minds from the inferiority complex of ineloquence in English language is vitally imperative for the preservation and regeneration of their confidence, self-esteem and self-expression- which are the dominant chisels of human personality. It will also enable them to be professionally competitive and be at par with the fellows from elite schoolings.

4. Let the time be their best availed asset: Treating youngsters as the handy man who has all the time in the world to waste running in between offices, travelling from remote areas and waiting edgily in ques in extreme weathers has become our national trademark. Instead of making time available to them to utilize it in improving their knowledge on diversified topics, reading books, attending inspirational motivational sessions, working on their personalities and improving their skillset, we make them run around the mill. Requirements of submitting this document or that, taking this eligibility test or that, getting documents attested from a long list of offices, we make sure to make him tired mentally and physically. It drains the energy and money exhorting mental and financial pressure. And the incriminating treatment by the non-cooperative and belligerent facilitators in various offices is thwarting and condemnable.

There is a pressing need to make a standardized, centralized and convenient system of degree attestations and various IQ & language assessment tests. It is high time that international academia should also be persuaded to revisit their such requirements for our students. For example, IELTS expires in 2 years which is an exorbitantly expensive and unnecessary ordeal to be repeated time and again.

A less tiring and greatly motivating journey to glean aspiring, driven and passionate future agents of change should be waded and adopted as a national drive of common courtesy and patronage towards its younger emissaries.

5. Incriminating Immigration Consultants Carving Swamps overseas: The cloudburst of foreign education and immigration consultants and centers alluring naïve students to send abroad for study or work across country is another sickening fable. Most among them are involved in criminal and fraudulent schemes and malpractices. Parents, trapped in the false hopes of a radiant future of their child, pay through nose by selling their lives’ savings and assets. This network of crooks has ruined the lives of hundreds of thousands in unimaginably destabilizing and derogatory ways and have also tarnishing the name and credibility of Pakistan. This is the reason that countries have placed stern restrictions and eligibility criteria are extremely tough for us. Universities are much more cautious while accepting Pakistani students let alone offering scholarships with the apprehension of students possessing fake degrees, applying for asylum, illegally working instead of paying full attention to studies, accompanying fake relatives on forged documents etc.

A thorough data base of these agents with due diligence to grant registration and a consistent check and control on the activities with the movement of each students annually should be monitored. It is essential to save these young lads from exploitation, making wrong decisions in haste and restoring Pakistan’s credibility and quality of its migrants and students.

6. Physical & Creative Activities Embedding Enriched Characters & Social Skills: It is hard to deny that access to sports and performing arts activities highly depends on the financial muscle of the family in our society. An ordinary youngster, at most, plays cricket, football or hockey as the equipment is not that expensive and streets and roads become their playground. And over the weekends it’s an incredible sight to see dozens of teams struggling yet enjoying simultaneously in one playground due to shortage of such facilities. Swimming, tennis, theatre, music etc. is not an easy interest to pursue. That’s for the people who can afford to pay the fees of clubs and tutors.

Athletic and arts activities are not merely extracurricular leisure activities but they are proven means in evolving social, emotional, physical, creative and cognitive skills of an individual. It enriches one’s personality with the sense of compatibility, co-operation, coordination and communication along with sharpening the inner senses and outer reflexes. It helps alleviate frustration, rage, aggression, negative energy and intolerance as well as keep them away and safe from evils of drugs, harmful addictions and pejorative thoughts and activities. It will also save them from over exposure and excessive use of social media and injurious effects of lengthy screen time of playing video games and endless watching of movies and drama seasons.

Similarly, role of community work engagement cannot be undervalued. Such activities raise awareness about pressing socio-economic and environmental issues as well as generate self-consciousness and individual accountability giving way to a more mature and informed future drivers of prosperity. Such activities should be taken as a reformation and integral component of the educational learning. It should be an essential constituent of the larger scheme of studies to ensure physical and mental wellbeing of students. Cost effective options, public private partnerships and efficient budgeting can create the window of possibility for the public sector institutions.

7. Economic Empowerment Coaxing Nobility of Work: It is essentially important to create opportunities of part time work for students in university campuses and other feasible public places to promote habit of working. Earning from the early age will coax them to be disciplined, utilize time effectively, share responsibilities, manage their ego, financially independent, sociable, agile and learn nobility of work, public dealing and professional skills. Establishing a culture of working students should be part and parcel of every higher education institutions’ manifesto and an integral component of public and private sector CSR.

Objective, mission and goal of educating and capacity building of the citizens, for a country, is not just enhancing the literacy rate but it is to positively fortifying an individual’s attitude, unleashing and harnessing its inner potential, dispensing its share of opportunities for him to become a dynamic, active and steadfast member of the society. Character building is significant to foster and inculcate the virtues of simplicity, generosity, compassion, empathy, honesty, tolerance, forgiveness and cooperation. In order to build an inclusive, equitable and fair society, our youth will have to be equipped with their fundamental rights and empowered with the freedom of their choices in life.

No doubt, it’s a collective responsibility and government alone cannot quell all the hampering and haggling issues by using a magic wand. Various initiatives by different government, in spite of their inherit defects in planning and execution, have contributed towards empowering youth. However, the need is to water and nourish the plant when its young and sprouting so that it can gain its ultimate strength and reach to maximum height. Same is true for our sublime future generation, which is bulky in size and abound in talent. We must look after and nurture them effusively right from their childhood to handover the destiny of our nation in more capable, dependable and equipped hands.

The writer is a development sector practitioner