Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP), in collaboration with UNICEF and Generation Unlimited, on Wednesday launched the nationwide “PurAzm Pakistan” initiative aimed at expanding education, skills development, employment and leadership opportunities for young people across the country.
Addressing the launch ceremony, Chairman PMYP Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan announced a series of major youth focused programmes, including technical training, language courses, scholarships and digital employment platforms.
He said the government is committed to empowering Pakistan’s youth through opportunities in arts, culture, science, technology, skills development and sports.
He noted that the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme was first launched in 2013 during the government of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to support young people through laptop schemes, scholarships and easy loan facilities.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approved all budgetary proposals aimed at youth development and had refused to compromise on funding for young people.
According to Rana Mashhood, Rs19 billion has been allocated this year for technical and vocational education, paving the way for what he described as the largest technical education programme in Pakistan’s history.
The PMYP chairman said the government is not only focusing on vocational training but also on soft skills and character development and added that to improve overseas employment prospects, language training programmes have been launched in Japanese, Arabic, English, Korean, German and French.
He revealed that PMYP teams are currently exploring employment and development opportunities for Pakistani youth in 17 countries.
He also highlighted the growing success of the Digital Youth Hub, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last year.
“More than 800,000 young people have registered on the Digital Youth Hub, while an average of 4,800 new users are registering every day,” he said, adding that over 2,000 companies are now registered on the platform, offering thousands of job opportunities in Pakistan and abroad.
Rana Mashhood further said that with UNICEF’s support, the Digital Youth Hub is playing an active role in youth welfare and development.
He also announced the launch of the Pakistan Education Endowment Fund, modelled on the Punjab Education Endowment Fund, to provide financial assistance to deserving students across the country.
Describing young people as Pakistan’s most valuable asset, he said their development remained the government’s foremost priority.
Speaking on the occasion, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pakistan, Muhammad Yahya, said Pakistan’s youth represented one of the country’s greatest strengths and that efforts to empower them were critical for national progress.
UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, Purnima Ironside, highlighted the challenge of out of school children, noting that nearly 25 million children in Pakistan are currently not attending school.
She stressed the need to equip young people with skills that meet international standards and labour market requirements.
PMYP Joint Secretary Dr Muhammad Ali Malik briefed participants on various initiatives undertaken under the programme and urged young people to register on the Digital Youth Hub to benefit from government supported opportunities in education, skills development and employment.
