Laraib Ijaz Malik
Mphil Peace and Conflict Studies
National Defense University
Pakistan is home to a large number of young people and there are multiple problems that Pakistani youth has to face in their everyday life, be it education, career, unemployment, lack of opportunities, lack of guidance, lack of skill based education, low wages and issues related to mental health and most of the issues remain unaddressed.
As of now, there are various frameworks running one next to the other. There are government institutes, private institutes, English medium schools, and Urdu medium schools and then there are madrasas. However all of them have different curriculums. On the off chance that we intently break down each of the instruction frameworks so no single framework gives every single fundamental thing basic to the improvement of studies. On one side government schools need required instructive headway. Then there are private schools having the undeniable facilities of modern day disciplines, then there are issues with strict madrasas as they completely disregard the day by day sciences similarly significant for the improvement of any country. As all the institutes have different system and the curriculum is also diverse so there are two entirely different generations being brought, having different mental capabilities and potentiality, leading to a fragmented society. The fundamental and chief issue is identified with the existing education system so there is a prompt need for balanced and skill based education.
In addition to that there is a lack of guidance in choosing careers, they don’t have jobs, opportunities, and awareness. The ones getting jobs are facing issues in getting the ones compatible with their relevant field of study leading to dissatisfaction and low performance. Education implies exploring backup ways to go, both formal and casual, to information and aptitude building. In Pakistan especially it implies putting the correct people to the correct tracks. A large portion of our youth are loners in their current positions and work, they have been burdened to these undesirable commitments either by society, guardians or their conditions. Someone who needed to turn into an artist and was sent to an engineering college against his/her desire, can’t give the best yield as an engineer by any means. Misguided and direction-less young population can worsen the situation of socio-economic development indicators in the country.
Moreover there is a huge unparalleled difference in the number of degrees that the educational institutes are producing and the number of jobs and opportunities available in the field. The government needs to create jobs and provide opportunities for entrepreneurships, the energies of the young population needs to be channelized keeping in notice Pakistan’s national objectives and policies. It is high time that the government starts taking education as a serious concern and allocates an appropriate amount of budget for the educational department rather than pouring all the budget into the defense of the country. Human resource administration techniques need to be applied prudently.
Among other issues poverty is another significant issue of the Pakistani youth. Because of absence of resources they can’t get quality education and seek their field of intrigue. Destitution and poverty is a kind of malady which is debilitating our youth. They can’t completely utilize their abilities and serve their nation. Inferable from destitution and joblessness, leave parents with no choice but to send their children to work rather than to study. They do as such to help their family and use them as procuring hands from the early age. Child labor is kind of storm that is causing our precious talent to drain and deplete ceaselessly away. The child labor often drives youth into terrorist organizations, crimes and indecent exercises, for example, utilization of drugs.
The youth at present is facing dissatisfaction and frustration, this anxiety is consistently eating up the youth. Our youth is lacking tolerance and acceptance for fellow human beings. All the issues that were mentioned above are leading the youth towards aggressive attitude and lack of empathy and tolerance for people with different beliefs, language, culture and religion. Being a scholar of Peace and Conflict Studies I believe there is an immediate need of the hour to introduce peace education in the curriculum at all levels starting from the primary schools till post-graduation. There have been very little efforts made on the governmental level to create an environment that supports interfaith harmony and social cohesion. There is an outright need of peace educators, teachers and professors who can develop a sense of harmony and cultural respect among the youth and also there is a need for policy makers who can implement those strategies made by the peace educators. Culture of violence and hatred can be dismantled if peace education is inculcated in the youth at all levels. In order to deal with depression, anxiety and to achieve inner peace one of the important keys is through acquiring tolerance, communication and self-expression, but unfortunately tolerance level amongst Pakistani youth has become quite low due to a number of socio-economic reasons.
Regardless of the range of issues, it is as yet a perfect time for the government to make some commonsense strides and take some positive measures. Pakistan being 15th largest nation in regard to the population has by a long shot the most youth populace we have to manage as a primary concern that “destiny of nations is in the hands of youth”. Despite the fact young minds of Pakistan are full of energy, talent and capabilities, they only need to be regulated properly in the right direction which would help in the development of the country and unfortunately our youth has lost its identity, they need to recall their individuality. There is a need of restorative measures at the governmental, individual and social levels to reestablish the confidence and qualities of the youth. We need to prepare them to stand up to and tackle the difficulties of time with undaunted fortitude and confidence. However this large population is confronting various issues and if these aren’t appropriately tended to, the nation risks turning this significant human asset into a mere burden. Only a developed youth makes developed nation, so the youth development must be taken as need task by the policymakers and administrators of Pakistan. It is essential that the government investigates and solves the troubles of the youth else it will be past the point of no return.