01 November 2004	Monday	17 Ramazan 1425

KARACHI, Oct 31: The government would soon launch a big drive for bridging the skills gap through public-private sectors partnership and augmenting the human capabilities.

This was stated by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz while speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of the Quaid-Sessi Medical and Dental College on Sunday.

For security reasons, the prime minister unveiled the plaque at the Governor's House. The project site of the college is at the Kulsoom Bai Valika Hospital in SITE.

"Because of the skills gap, certain jobs are undertaken by foreigners who are not only maintaining a good living but also sending home their earnings," the prime minister observed.

He pointed out that while degree-holders lacked the required skills, the skilled professionals generally did not have a degree. He emphasized the need for encouraging vocational training for degree-holders.

He made mention of the construction industry where there was a shortage of skilled workers. He hoped that with a growth in the national economy, more and more job opportunities for people would emerge.

Commending the initiative taken by Sessi (Sindh Employees' Social Security Institution), the prime minister stressed the need for improving the quality of literacy for progress.

For this, he said, it was essential to develop human capabilities by adhering to the principle of merit and learning from the experience of others.

Mr Aziz said that peace and development in Karachi was very important for progress and stability of the whole country. Such initiatives, he added, would contribute to that end.

He was of the view that literacy standard was not contingent with economic affluence. In this regard, he cited the examples of some countries whose economies were not even at par with Pakistan, yet their literacy rate was over 90 per cent.

He also stressed the need for a right approach in health sector. Doctors, he said, be encouraged to provide their services to the people of remote areas where there were hardly any such facilities.

The problems of drinking water and drainage system also required attention, he pointed out, saying that unless such basic facilities were addressed, achieving progress would be difficult.

The prime minister hoped that the Quaid-Sessi college would not only be helpful in expanding the scope of medical education, but would also contribute to the efforts for providing health care facilities to people. It would be especially beneficial to the working class.

Mr Aziz highlighted the importance of the role the small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) could play in the development of infrastructure. He lauded the efforts put in by the provincial government in this regard.

Emphasizing the significance of social security, he called for expanding the scope of the scheme.

Earlier, Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad commended the project and said that it would strengthen the efforts towards providing better education and health care facilities, as well as job opportunities, to the people of Karachi, the economic, intellectual and political hub of the country.

Chief Minister Dr Arbab stressed that admission policy vis-a-vis the project would require consideration and priorities should be decided in advance. He said that it should also be decided whether this college was meant for the children of the workers belonging to Karachi only or the whole of Sindh.

Provincial Minister Adil Siddiqui presented welcome address and spelt out salient features of the project. He said that a nursing school and an automobile training institute would also be set up later.