Daily Times

The civil engineering construction of Gwadar Technical and Vocational Institute’s main structure has been completed, which lays a solid foundation for the project’s delivery as scheduled in August 2021.

According to Gwadar Pro, this institute’s total floor area is 7,350 square meters, which includes the teaching building, training workshop, multi-function hall and dormitories for students and faculty. The construction of the institute project kicked off at the end of 2019. Despite of the impact of the COVID-19, the project construction went smoothly. It is estimated to be completed and accepted by the end of August 2021.

This China-aid Institute is a key project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Upon completion, it will become the first vocational institute in Pakistan that takes port and shipping as the mainstay and other technologies fields as the supplementary.

According to Naseer Khan Kashani, some 800 students will be trained annually in multiple disciplines in the institute. And then, they will take part in different projects at the port and the free zones. When attending the groundbreaking ceremony of the institute and a hospital also donated by China, Wang Zhihua, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, said the Chinese government, on the basis of the urgent needs of the local people, donated the two projects in order to promote the sustainable development of Gwadar.

The projects would provide high-quality technical and vocational education and advanced medical equipment and sites of diagnosis and treat for people in Gwadar and surrounding areas. Also at the ceremony, Zhang Baozhong, Chairman of the China Overseas Ports Holding Company Pakistan, the operator of Gwadar Port, said, “We always try to increase local employment. But sometimes, our efforts face hurdles due to lack of education and technical training of the local population.”

Zhang hoped that the China-aid education project will increase the employment chances for the local people. Besides Gwadar Technical and Vocational Institute, a China-Pakistan Friendship School had been established here in Sept 2016, which accommodates around 500 students. This school is located in a less-developed area in dire need of school services.

China is also providing a large number of scholarships to Pakistani students, and around 25,000 are currently studying in China. Both countries have also established links in science, technology and education.