How to build a nation: Empowering through skills and education

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There has been many books teaching us how to cook a food, drive a car, fly an airplane and how to become a successful entrepreneur, but how to make a nation is neither debated nor written in any book. Indeed giving its citizens the resources they need to prosper is essential to building a nation. In Pakistan, this starts with making education a top priority, especially for girls’ education and demand-driven technical skills. Women in the nation encounter structural obstacles to receiving high-quality education; this is arguably most noticeable in Balochistan. The province, which is underdeveloped and downtrodden families, while having abundant natural resources, emphasizes how urgently reforms are needed to improve its communities and, consequently, the country as a whole.
UNESCO 2023 report reveals that in Balochistan, female literacy hovers around 30%, significantly below the national average of 49% for women. Therefore, this issue is not just a local one; rather, it is a microcosm of the difficulties that women in Pakistan face. Millions of girls are denied their basic right to an education due to a combination of poverty, poor infrastructure, and cultural restrictions. While girls are consigned to household chores or early marriages, families frequently place a higher priority on boys’ education because they view it as an investment. Nonetheless, research continuously demonstrates that educating girls has a positive social impact. An educated woman benefits her community’s social and economic fabric in addition to her family’s well-being.
Informal education is very crucial in this situation. Rather a sufficient proportion of male and female in the country are skilled but informally; hence, acceptance of their talent at national and international pate form has become a complex challenge. Those who continue to be excluded from conventional educational systems can be reached through informal education, which is learning that takes place outside of formal institutions through community activities, mentorship, or self-directed projects. It has worked especially well in Balochistan, where cultural barriers or great distances frequently make traditional education unattainable. Organizations operating in the province have effectively carried out community-led projects, providing women and girls in local settings with basic literacy and vocational skills. But the larger social problem is that, in a world where standardized credentials are becoming more and more prevalent, informal education is not accepted. The undervaluation of informal education despite its transformative potential is perpetuated by employers’ frequent disregard for the importance of hands-on, experience-based learning.
We observe illustrative instances of how countries have changed as a result of focused initiatives in international settings. For example, Rwanda has one of the greatest rates of female participation in education and the workforce in Africa, despite its turbulent past. They used a community-based education model and made large investments in teacher preparation. Similar to Pakistan, Bangladesh has significantly enhanced girls’ education by providing conditional cash transfers to families who continue to send their daughters to school. These global achievements highlight Pakistan’s potential for repeatable models, especially in impoverished areas like Balochistan.
The issue of technical and vocational education is equally critical. Pakistan faces an acute discrepancy between its workforce’s skill set and industry demands. This disparity is particularly noticeable in Balochistan, where there is a lack of local talent to take use of the enormous potential presented by natural resources like minerals and energy. Although skills training has been started by programs like the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), their reach is restricted, especially in rural areas. Germany’s dual education system, on the other hand, provides a tried-and-true method for closing the skills gap by combining classroom instruction with industry-based apprenticeships. Regionally implementing such systems that are adapted to Pakistan’s economic environment can enable young people, particularly women, to make significant economic contributions.
From the actual hands on experience through focusing for women empowerment in the field of hand crafted skills have demonstrated the transformational potential of education and skill development. Many of the women craftspeople we collaborate with are from disadvantaged backgrounds, some of whom are from Balochistan. After receiving training in skills like needlework and design, these women – who were first cautious and lacked formal education – have thrived. These days, they act as role models in their communities in addition to providing financial support for their families. Their story serves as a reminder that even the most marginalized people may succeed if they are given the proper chances.
In addition to more funds, strategic alliances are needed to address these issues. Less than 2% of Pakistan’s GDP is presently allocated to education, which is far less than the 4% that UNESCO recommends. Increasing funding is crucial, but so is utilizing public-private partnerships. Government, nonprofit, and private sector partnerships can increase the impact and reach of educational programs. For instance, Telenor’s initiatives to advance digital literacy in Pakistan demonstrate how mobile technology may be used to bring digital learning materials to far-flung locations.
The circumstances in Balochistan serve as a sobering reminder that not everyone can afford schooling. It ought to be made a universal right, regardless of a person’s gender or location. When combined with institutional institutions, informal education provides a potent means of closing gaps. Nonetheless, there has to be more social acceptance of informal learning and the development of certification and recognition channels for talents learned outside of established systems.
From the far-flung villages of Balochistan to the bustling metropolises of Karachi and Lahore, Pakistani women possess a wealth of untapped potential. In addition to changing their lives, meeting their educational and career demands will help build a more powerful and just Pakistan. Investing in people is the first step toward progress, and the moment is now. Nations normally become richer due to equal participation of gender without making difference of cast, culture and creed. It is fact that the rich nations are richer because their people possess value, norms, practices and habits to be become richer. Such values are exigency of time to be cultivated in Pakistan to make the nation richer because home is considered as the landscape of industry rather entire world. Let us foresee with betterment and pragmatic approach.