GUJRAT: The University of Gujrat (UoG) has sought approval of the Punjab Higher Education Department to introduce ‘Community Colleges’ to impart skill-based education to replace the degree colleges offering BA/BSc level programmes in conventional subjects.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has already approved the associate (skill-based) degree programmes and the UoG will be launching a pilot project in its four (two intermediate and two degree) affiliated colleges in the district.

The varsity has also asked Punjab government to issue the notifications declaring the selected institutions ‘Community Colleges’ and the UoG as executing agency having required powers. It has also sought allocation of Rs111.40 million for initiation of the project.

The UoG is seeking technical assistance from University of Central Lancashire, UK and the George Mason University, Virginia, USA, to launch these programmes.

UoG Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Nizamuddin told Dawn the education system of Pakistan was 200 years old and was introduced by the British in the sub-continent to produce clerical stuff for their assistance.

“This system is producing non-technical graduates unable to contribute in any technical field, whereas the traditional market is now shifting towards technology-based products and related enterprises,” he said and added that the traditional education system was producing BA and MA graduates having no direct practical use in the new dynamic market.

He said there was a frail connection between the existing education system and the human resource required by technology-based global markets. Due to this gap, he said, the youth’s energies were being wasted and unemployment and poverty was on the rise in the province.

Elaborating, he said that the agricultural districts required agri-graduates, agri-engineers and water managers rather than graduates having conventional degrees, whereas the industrial districts required chemical, mechanical, electronics, electrical, information technology, commerce graduates for their respective development.

Similarly, he said there was need to produce more veterinary graduates, town planners, paramedical staff, nurses, certified alternative health care providers, product designers, bio-medical experts and social scientists.

He said to address this imbalance threatening the socio-economic development of Pakistan the ‘irrelevant human resource development mechanism’ needed to be changed.

Dr Nizam said the Community Colleges would also cater the talented students who fail to get admission in engineering, medicine, veterinary, computer and management sciences in public sector higher education institutions due to availability of limited seats and had no option but to join conventional colleges for getting BA/BSc degrees.

He said at present only 120,451 students were enrolled with the institutions working under Tevta in Punjab, which was just 0.2pc of the total population of the province. Tevta only offers diplomas and certificate courses to these students.

The VC said the curricula of the skill-bases programmes would be based on local and international market demand designed in consultation with renowned educationists and professionals. He said the students enrolled for skill-based degree programmes would also be given opportunities to learn via internship, workshops and study tours.