youth of pakistan essay

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Unleashing the potential of a young Pakistan

The 2017 Pakistan NHDR looks at the role of youth as a key force for enhancing human development.

Shakeel Ahmad

Assistant country director and chief of the development policy unit, undp pakistan.

Any study of human development is incomplete without considering demographic transition; a phenomenon likely to have a profound impact on Pakistan’s future, given its young population. Currently, 64 percent of the nation is younger than 30 and 29 percent of Pakistanis are between 15 and 29 (an age group which we define as the youth). Pakistan now has more young people than it has ever had, and this is forecasted to continue to increase until at least 2050.

Why is this important? Because the youth have the power to transform a country’s future. They could be the engines of development. Or their disillusionment could lead to social unrest. Pakistan’s National Human Development Report 2017 studies the hopes, dreams, aspirations and fears of young Pakistanis to gather insights for transforming the "youth bulge" into a demographic dividend. It analyzes young people’s voices by consulting more than 130,000 people across Pakistan, of which 90 percent were youth, including marginalized and underprivileged young communities.

The voices of youth were heard in many ways, ranging from mainstream social media websites to more innovative approaches including direct consultation, art competitions, video messages, radio shows, the Razakaar (volunteering) programme, the Your Idea Counts campaign, and the #Khwab Pakistan (Dream Pakistan) campaign involving young leaders. An interesting addition to the report is a set of 101 Jawan (young) ideas, which are policy recommendations from the youth for the youth.

In addition, data from national surveys and new data from a National Youth Perceptions Survey was used to compute a sub-national Human Development Index, Youth Development Index, and a Youth Gender Inequality Index.

The data drawn from these diverse sources was used to develop a representative sample of the youth from diverse backgrounds. The findings revealed some important insights: 29 out of 100 young people are illiterate and only 6 percent have more than 12 years of education. Regarding employment, 39 of 100 youth are employed (32 of them males and 7 females), 57 of 100 youth (16 males and 41 females) are neither working nor seeking jobs, and only 4 percent are unemployed and actively looking for work.

Significant gaps were also found with regard to the space for social engagement and connectivity: only 15 percent of youth have access to the Internet, 52 percent own a cell phone, 94 percent do not have access to a library, and 93 percent lack access to a sports facility.

The report’s primary focus is to identify the drivers of change that can empower youth and harness their potential for human development. Known as the three Es, the report studied the three drivers of change namely: quality Education , gainful Employment , and meaningful Engagement .

Pakistan’s constitution promises free education to all school age children. Unfortunately, the report finds that a staggering 9.45 million children are out of primary school. At the current annual net enrolment rate of 0.92 percent, complete enrollment of school children won’t be reached until 2076. To meet the goal by 2030, the annual net enrolment rate has to quadruple to 3.8 percent.

However, even if every child goes to school, that does not mean they will get a quality education: such an education remains a luxury which few can afford to pay for. The many challenges related to education include barriers for girls’ education, high drop-out rates, low levels of public investment, and an insufficient number schools.

Education also impacts the next lever of change - gainful Employmen t. With youth representing just under half of Pakistan’s working age population, it is important to analyze whether the existing jobs are actually decent jobs.

Almost 4 million youth enter the working age population every year. If the current labour force participation rate and unemployment levels remain constant, 0.9 million new jobs are needed every year over the next five years. If we aim to improve labor force participation rates, an additional 1.3 million jobs must be created each year for the next five years.

Meaningful Engagement , the third E, is an important pillar of development in a country where the majority of the youth feel their voices are not heard and that they have little say in decision-making. Lack of social engagement is creating doubt, intolerance and distrust among young people. However, despite these limited ways to have their voices heard, the report finds the youth of Pakistan want to be engaged.

Together, the three Es, can break the cycle of poverty and advance human development, the report argues. The youth of Pakistan are full of potential, energy and ideas. What they need is an enabling environment that will allow them to take risks, innovate and engage productively. The report concludes that the youth bulge of Pakistan offers a potentially important demographic dividend. However, if proper investments are not made in promoting education, employment and engagement, the youth could represent a demographic challenge. This is a policy choice to be made by the policy makers. And the time is now.

The HDialogue blog is a platform for debate and discussion. Posts reflect the views of respective authors in their individual capacities and not the views of UNDP/HDRO.

HDRO encourages reflections on the HDialogue contributions. The office posts comments that supports a constructive dialogue on policy options for advancing human development and are formulated respectful of other, potentially differing views. The office reserves the right to contain contributions that appear divisive.

Photo: UNDP Pakistan

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PAKISTAN’S MOMENT OF YOUTH

The future of Pakistan — good or bad — will be determined by its young; most especially by those who are between 15 and 29 years of age today.

This, of course, is a cliché. But it happens to be a cliché that is quite literally true. Here is why.  Pakistan’s ‘youth bulge’ is palpable. Just over two out of every three Pakistanis today are below the age of 30 and just under one in every three is between 15 and 29 years of age (our definition of youth).

What the demographic momentum imbedded in this one statistic implies is that Pakistan is not just a young country, but that it is going to remain young till at least to 2050, possibly longer.  More importantly, my own research suggests that the youth of Pakistan know this and they expect being given the attention and respect this demographic reality demands.

Others who have looked at the question have come to similar conclusions. But the fact of the matter is that we do not need statistics to tell us that Pakistan is a young country. You just need to look around you. Any street. Any marketplace. Advertising on your television set. Certainly, on your Twitter feed. Any political jalsa [gathering]. Any office. Even elected officials and unelected political influentials.

The generational change is not on its way. It’s here. It’s set. And, most importantly, it’s here to stay. At least for, and probably for more than, the next two decades.

With the majority of Pakistan’s population below the age of 30, the young will invariably influence the country’s future trajectory. However, where the youth of today take this country will depend on the choices that today’s policymakers, Pakistani society and the young themselves make. Eos presents an excerpt from an essay by Adil Najam from the book Pakistan: Search for Stability, published by Oxford University Press…

BEING YOUNG IN PAKISTAN

In 2017, the Pakistan Human Development Report produced a comprehensive profile of youth in Pakistan, including a wealth of empirical and opinion data on the young, collected from an estimated 130,000 Pakistanis. However, the key question that we, the authors of the report, were most concerned with was “what does it mean to be young in Pakistan?”

Not surprisingly, no easy answers were forthcoming. Like so many other places in the world, being young in Pakistan is both exciting and frustrating. The space that the young occupy in Pakistani society is vast and full of possibilities but, in their own words, is often described as crumbling, contested and constrained on the one hand, and uneven, unfair and uncertain on the other.

It is a space that is defined by high hopes, but also deep fears. As subsequent research and events have confirmed, to be young in Pakistan is to be highly agitated, and very often angry. Our research does begin pointing out some of the reasons why this is so.

For example, if you were to computationally condense the over 60 million young Pakistanis aged between 15 and 29 into a statistically representative one hundred young people, you would find that just 30 of them consider themselves to be functionally literate, 29 would never have gone to school (despite all being 15 or above), only 6 would have 12 or more years of education and just 39 would be employed.

More telling, however, are the structural depravations which highlight that the space ‘to be young’ is severely constrained and shrinking. Of the 100, only six would have access to a library, only seven to a sports facility, just 21 to a park. Only three would have ever been to a cinema, only three to a live music performance. Fifty-nine would say that they do not play sports, or only infrequently.

One in the 100 would own a car, 12 a motorcycle, 10 a bicycle and 77 would have no means of personal mobility. Each of these depravations becomes even more acute for women, rural youth, and other marginalised groups within the young.

And, yet, within this notional 100, we also found a spirit of great national pride, high aspirations, much hope, and tremendous expectations. They were eager to announce, to any who wish to ride the tiger of Pakistan’s youth, to never forget that this is a generation that demands and deserves better. They are politically excited, excitable and astute.

While only 24 percent said (in 2016) that they trusted political leaders, 90 percent of young men and 55 percent of young women claimed that they would vote in the next elections. Of every 100, 48 believe that Pakistan’s future will be bright — although 36 fear it will be bleak.

Most tellingly, 67 [of the 100] believe that their lives are and should be better than their parents, only 15 expect themselves to be worse-off than their parents; 89 say they feel happy; 70 say they feel safe. All of them demand the space and conditions in which they can achieve their aspirations.

In short, the world of young Pakistanis is as diverse, as differentiated, and as divided as the rest of Pakistan. However, they also have greater expectations and aspirations which, if nurtured, could yield high dividends. Much more telling, however, is the palpable impatience and restlessness which, if ignored, could result in disaster.

There are three things to keep in mind as we think about youth anywhere in the world, but certainly in the context of Pakistan.

First, and most importantly, youth is a defining category. The reason to think of the young as a category is not just because they are so many, but because — even if they were not this many — the 15-29 year age bracket is where ‘citizenship’ matures.

Second, youth is fleeting. Analytically, too, youth is a transitory and dynamic category. Because changes happen fast and furious when one is young, the definition of youth identity and what it stands for can change rapidly, even whilst within that category. Those turning 15 or 16 today can find themselves very distant from those turning 28 or 29 and will very likely not easily recognise the passions of those who would be 16 by the time they turn 28.

This may well be true for other categories too but is consequential here, because the short window of this category and the rapid changes within it make notions of what “youth believe”,  “youth stand for”,  and “youth want”, or even ideas of the “youth vote”, are much more transitory and contestable than many analysts assume, and do compound the challenges of youth representation.

Finally, youth — especially in Pakistan — is an extremely diverse category. At one level, any category of well over 60 million individuals cannot possibly be homogenous and would demand an investigation into its internal contradictions. But, much more than that, each of the major cleavages that exist in Pakistani society are compounded in its young: gender, class, rural-urban, wealth, technology, ethnicities, religiosity and sectarianism, and geography.  

PAKISTAN AND ITS YOUNG: THREE PROPOSITIONS

Building and extending on the available research, let us review three key propositions — political, societal and developmental — on how the young of Pakistan might influence the future trajectories of the country’s society and politics.

These propositions are offered not as predictions or scenarios, but as choice points. Embedded within each proposition are levers of possible change — where the youth of today take this country will very much depend on the choices that policymakers, Pakistani society and the young themselves make on each of these dimensions.

Proposition 1: The young of today are defining tomorrow’s politics, but not always in ways we imagine

On the face of it, the bold sounds, sights, language, and even substance of Pakistan politics today seems driven by the young. Even where mainstream political parties are still led by septuagenarians, they wrap themselves in the emblems of youth; political rallies of all parties, even religious ones, feel like high-intensity concerts; political communication is not only geared towards the young but most often crafted by them.

On the one hand, this is not entirely new, nor surprising. On the other, however, there is something palpably different, as if what would have been ‘regular’ youthfulness is now on steroids. There is significant reason to believe why it is, and will remain, so.

At a basic demographic level, all political actors realise how the maths works: the young are the single largest bloc of new and impressionable voters in Pakistan and there is a long-term and steady supply of them. The demography described in the Pakistan National Human Development Report suggests that every election in Pakistan between now and around 2050 will be defined by the youth vote — including, of course, by their choice to vote or not. 

Notwithstanding the dichotomy of young Pakistanis claiming high intent to vote and a history of not having done so in the past, the number of young entrants into the voting mix means that, mostly within two election cycles, today’s new voter would be about to — or would already have — enter(ed) a burgeoning 30-49 years middle-age category historically the most reliable and loyal voting group in Pakistan. The political logic of investing in the young voter is impeccable.

But demography alone does not explain the dominance of the youth voice in Pakistani politics today. Technology seems to have played an even more defining role; a role that is likely to be as enduring. That the rise of ‘new’ (especially social) media would trigger a steep decline of the ‘old’ (particularly print) media was probably inevitable, but the ‘control’ younger political operatives now exert over social media in all political groupings is remarkable and is now driving significant parts of the political narratives in the country.

Of course, certain leaders and parties have capitalised more on courting the youth vote than others and have been differently successful in it. This matters, but mostly in ways that it has always mattered. One should not expect permanence in youth loyalties, not least because it remains a dynamic and diverse category.  It remains to be seen if the current and emerging youth bulge will practically change ballot box behaviour, but conditions are certainly ripe to create the possibility.

Finally, a very remarkable feature of Pakistan’s emergent political discourse is how explicit mention of youth issues is nearly absent from political narratives. This, despite the feverish pitch of the political discourse, despite the active participation of the young in this discourse, and even despite the role the young are clearly playing in shaping the narratives.

A possible explanation for this anomaly could be that politically active youth in Pakistan have convinced themselves that the pathway to material benefits for themselves — particularly, for example, in the area of employment and improved living conditions — lies through the choice of political leadership rather than of policy.

Proposition 2: Give the young the ability to be young or expect a Pakistan tomorrow that is as divided as it is today

The idea that we are denying the young in Pakistan the space to be young is a major finding of the Pakistan National Human Development Report. But it is a thought that first hit me like a ton of bricks in December 2014, as I visited the New Muslim College in Charsadda — just days after the horrific terrorist attack at the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar — to hold a focus group discussion with 15-18-year-olds on what young Pakistanis were thinking.

It struck me that the young men with me in the room were not much older than the students who had died at APS just a few days ago, or those who had done the horrific killing. The reality of the APS attack hung heavy in the room and I realised, as did they, that it is the young in Pakistan who have had to do much of the dying in the so-called ‘War on Terror.’ But there was also a palpably steely resolve in the room. Here is what I wrote about that encounter:

“Unlike every other APS conversation I had been hearing — on television, on social media, from politicians, in drawing rooms — theirs was devoid of sloganeering. There was no sign of despair. No hollow display of anger or anguish. No camouflaging of fear with bravado. Instead, there was resolve. Very endearing. Very becoming. Very mature. A very matter-of-fact recognition that this was the reality of the Pakistan they had inherited. A reality they now have to live with…”

It is then that I fully realised the perils of being young in Pakistan. “Extremists are out to indoctrinate the young. Terrorists are out to kill them. Educational institutions can neither guarantee quality education nor physical security. An emergent politics of anger uses the passions of the young as fuel for petty politicking. The result is that the space for the young to be young has shrunk — is endangered.”

My research has convinced me that the best gift that Pakistan can give to its young is to return to them the ability to be young. Indeed, it may be the best gift Pakistan can give itself — a future where this ability continues to be denied cannot be good for any Pakistani.

Being young is not just about being carefree, it is also about being able to explore. In the shrinking space to be able to do so, the young in Pakistan have already inherited most of the societal divides that define the country as a whole. That as many young Pakistanis consider being a Pakistani as their primary identity as consider their religion to be their primary identity, is probably reflective of society as a whole.

But what was the most disturbing aspect of our research was that more than 40 percent young men and 50 percent young women disapproved of having friendly relations with someone from another religion, or even another sect; nearly three out of every four young Pakistanis (men and women) responded that they would disapprove of someone from a different religion or sect preaching their religion.

The distrust that defines Pakistani society as a whole is equally prevalent amongst the young.  Just over 20 percent said they trusted politicians, only around 25 percent trust the police, just 40 percent had trust in the judiciary and less than 50 percent in the media. All of this was in 2016, and there is enough reason to believe that trust amongst the young has only eroded further since then.

Such a snapshot should be read not just as what the youth of today think, but what the Pakistan of tomorrow is likely to think. The challenges of social division, societal distrust and mutual intolerance are clearly great, but solutions are available. Silly as it may sound to some, given the enormity of the challenges, the very first — and possibly most meaningful, although not always easy — step should be resolute policy in allowing the young to be young.

Sports grounds are not a big investment, but they can be more meaningful than we might think. It is remarkable how parochial we have become, and simple steps to enhance mobility for the young, including the ability for travel exchange within the country to get to meet other Pakistanis who may not look like us but are equally Pakistanis, is another small but possibly impactful investment.

Safe and affordable mobility (along with reliable childcare and clean bathrooms) for young women, in fact, emerges as amongst the most effective means of significantly increasing women’s participation in the workforce.

Obvious as it should be by now, it is worth noting that, as we think about youth as a category for social analysis, now and into the future, the simple dichotomy of ‘young vs old’ is not only un-useful but can also be dangerous. In society, as in politics, some of the greatest and most alienating divisions that exist in Pakistan exist amongst the young themselves. The policy challenge is to find ways to reduce these divisions now before they sink deep roots and are passed on to the future, and to future generations.

The goal is not empty slogans of ‘integration’, but investing in practical means for the young in Pakistan to interact with other young people in Pakistan. Across divisions of gender, class, geography, religion and rural-urban-metropolitan, the bridges that need to be built are not just of concrete but of conversation.

Proposition 3: ‘Boom or bust?’ — it’s a choice

We began the 2017 Pakistan National Human Development Report with a story that is not from Pakistan. It remains valid and is worth repeating here:

“On December 17, 2010, a 26-year-old fruit and vegetable vendor in a small town in Tunisia set himself on fire, following a confrontation with a municipal official about where his cart was parked. While the specifics of what led to Mohamed Bouazizi’s death are unclear, what is indisputable is his fatal self-immolation catalysed protests that toppled Tunisia’s dictator and led to a string of uprisings in the region that came to be called the Arab Spring.

“The aim of mentioning this situation here is not to recount what happened in Tunis that day, or in the other countries of the Arab Spring subsequently. [Our concern is] with Pakistan’s youth. So, fast forward to Pakistan.

“Can you imagine a situation, anywhere in Pakistan, where a young person feels so frustrated by unemployment, or so disheartened, un-empowered and marginalised, that he takes a measure as extreme as Bouazizi did in Tunisia? One certainly hopes not. But hope alone is not enough. It is the responsibility of the state as well as society to enable an environment for our youth where such a fate is not even imaginable. Not even in our worst nightmares.”

Trying to predict whether Pakistan’s demographic youth momentum will end up being a ‘boom’ or a ‘bust’ is a fool’s errand. That Pakistan today has the largest number of young people it has ever had and that this number is set to grow over the next multiple decades, is a fact. How this fact will play out is not a matter of reading tea leaves, it is a matter of policy choice.

There is the inherent potential of a ‘boom’ in every youth bulge. A large number of new young entrants into the economy can become motors of consumption, generators of ideas and innovation and harbingers of new social energy.

There is also the equally inherent potential of a ‘bust’ in every youth bulge. A large number of new entrants into the economy need new employment, can feel suffocated by the lack of room to grow, and can burn with anger when existing systems they wish for are not enabled to change.

Certainly not as simple as it may sound, but the final path taken does depend on the choices made by policy, by society, and by the young themselves.

The writer is the founding dean of the Pardee School of Global Affairs at Boston University in the US and is a former vice chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (Lums).

He is currently the president of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) International This is a slightly modified version of an extract from the book Pakistan: Search for Stability, edited by Maleeha Lodhi and published in Pakistan by Oxford University Press.

It has been excerpted with permission from the author, editor and the publisher

Published in Dawn, EOS, May 5th, 2024

Dr. Adil Najam is a professor of Earth and Environment and the Dean of the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He is a former Vice Chancellor of LUMS.

He tweets at @AdilNajam

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National Essay Contest

National essay contest frequently asked questions, what is age limit.

National Essay Contest is open for adults from 18 and above  and young children from  8 – 17 years.

Can I reapply after rejection?

Yes you can reapply after rejection as many times as you wish.

Can I apply for multiple competitions?

Yes you can apply for multiples competitions at the same time. 

Pakistani Rs. 500/ will be charged from each participant of the competition. You are requested submit Rs. 500/= Fess for each competition. This Fees is used for providing support to students with financial emergency which may impede their academic progress and ability to complete classes. For more information for Student Relief Fund click here .

Submit Fees on following Accounts. Account Title:  Riaz Ahmed (JazzCash, Upaisa and Easypaisa):  03353304400

Note:  Provide screenshot of payment and upload in the form provided in each competition.

Can I get any award?

Youth For Pakistan is non-profit organization, we conduct 16 competitions on monthly basis, so we can not provide cash prize but we provide certificate to winners and put winners profile on our website and social media platforms.

How To Apply?

You are requested to fill the form provided below and choose your competition from dropdown list.

Still Need Help?

National Essay Contest is organized in an effort to harness the energy, creativity, and initiative of Pakistan’s youth in promoting a culture of peace and sustainable development. It also aims to inspire society to learn from young minds and to think about how each of us can make a difference in the world.

A national essay competition is a contest that invites participants from a specific country to submit an original essay on a particular topic or theme. The competition is usually open to students, professionals, or anyone interested in writing. The winner(s) may receive a prize or recognition for their work, and the competition aims to promote writing skills, critical thinking, and creativity.

Essay competitions are held for a variety of reasons. They can provide a platform for students and writers to showcase their skills and gain recognition for their work. Essay competitions can also encourage critical thinking, research, and writing, helping to develop these important skills in participants. Additionally, essay competitions can raise awareness about important issues and topics, and promote discussion and debate among the wider community. Finally, some essay competitions offer prizes or other incentives, which can be a motivating factor for participants.

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Participating in an essay contest offers numerous benefits, both personal and academic, for individuals of all ages and backgrounds. These contests provide a platform for self-expression, skill development, and valuable life experiences. Here are some key advantages:

1. Improves Writing and Communication Skills

An essay contest requires participants to craft thoughtful, well-structured arguments. Through the process of drafting, editing, and revising, individuals sharpen their writing abilities and learn to communicate more clearly and effectively. These skills are invaluable in both academic and professional settings.

2. Encourages Critical Thinking

Essay contests often present thought-provoking topics that challenge participants to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information. By engaging in critical thinking, contestants develop a deeper understanding of complex issues and learn to present reasoned arguments, fostering intellectual growth.

3. Boosts Creativity

Writing an essay allows individuals to express their creativity. Whether the topic is personal, academic, or social, essay contests encourage participants to explore different perspectives and offer unique solutions to problems. This creative engagement enhances innovative thinking, which is useful in many areas of life.

4. Enhances Research Skills

Many essay contests require in-depth research, providing an opportunity for contestants to explore various sources of information, evaluate evidence, and construct well-supported arguments. This process strengthens research skills, a critical asset in academic and professional pursuits.

5. Builds Confidence

Winning or even participating in an essay contest can significantly boost one’s self-confidence. The recognition that comes from placing in a competition, or receiving positive feedback, encourages individuals to believe in their abilities and continue to pursue writing and other intellectual activities.

6. Provides Networking Opportunities

Essay contests often attract participants from diverse backgrounds. Many competitions also have panels of judges, often experts in the field, who can provide valuable feedback. This exposure allows contestants to connect with like-minded individuals, expand their networks, and receive mentorship from professionals.

7. Promotes Time Management and Discipline

Competing in an essay contest requires careful planning, research, and writing, all within a set deadline. This experience helps participants improve their time management skills, discipline, and ability to work under pressure—essential traits in academic and professional settings.

8. Offers Scholarships and Prizes

Many essay contests offer substantial rewards, such as scholarships, cash prizes, internships, or publication opportunities. For students, these rewards can ease the financial burden of education and open doors to new opportunities.

9. Develops a Portfolio

Winning essays or entries can serve as strong portfolio pieces for future academic applications or job opportunities. Being able to demonstrate success in an essay contest highlights an individual’s writing prowess, dedication, and intellectual curiosity.

10. Raises Awareness on Important Issues

Essay contests often focus on pressing social, environmental, or political issues. By participating, contestants not only raise their own awareness but also contribute to wider discussions, potentially influencing others through their writing.

1. Eligibility: The contest is open to individuals of all ages residing within the national boundaries. Participants must be citizens or legal residents of the country. Employees, relatives, or affiliates of the organizing committee and sponsors are ineligible. 2. Theme:  Essays must adhere to the specified theme provided by the contest organizers. Creativity and unique perspectives on the theme are encouraged. 3. Submission Guidelines: Entries must be submitted electronically through the designated online portal or email address. The preferred format is a typed document in a standard word processing software. Submissions must be original and previously unpublished. 4. Word Limit: Essays should not exceed the specified word limit, with a tolerance of +/- 10%. Submissions deviating significantly from the limit may face disqualification. 5. Language: All entries must be submitted in the official language(s) specified by the organizers. Translations of non-English entries should be provided. 6. Deadline: Submissions must be received by the specified deadline. Late entries will not be considered. 7. Plagiarism:  Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. All entries will be subject to plagiarism checks, and any form of plagiarism will result in disqualification. 8. Judging Criteria:  Entries will be evaluated based on originality, creativity, adherence to the theme, clarity of expression, and overall impact. The decision of the judging panel is final and binding. 9. Multiple Entries:  Participants may submit multiple entries, but each entry must be unique and adhere to the specified guidelines. 10. Awards and Recognition:  Winners will be announced on the specified date. Prizes, if any, will be awarded to the top entries as determined by the judging panel. Winning essays may be published or featured on the contest website or in related publications. 11. Notification of Winners:  Winners will be notified via the contact information provided during submission. If a winner cannot be reached within a specified period, an alternative winner may be selected. 12. Rights and Permissions:  By submitting an entry, participants grant the contest organizers the right to publish and showcase the work, with proper attribution. 13. Confidentiality:  Judges and organizers will treat all submissions with confidentiality. Only winning entries may be publicly disclosed. 14. Contact Information:  Ensure that contact information provided during submission is accurate. Inquiries regarding submission status can be made after the judging process is complete. 15. Disqualification:  Entries not adhering to the rules and guidelines may be disqualified. Any attempt to influence the judging process may result in disqualification. 16. Amendments:  The organizing committee reserves the right to amend or add rules if necessary. Participants will be notified of any changes in a timely manner.

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Essay on Role of Youth in Development of Pakistan

Essay on the Role of Youth in the Development of Pakistan; It is a known and yet undeniable fact that the student of any state can improve the bad condition of its nation. It is the youth that is responsible for bringing improvement and development to the nation. The same expectations are being made with the coming and ongoing youth generation of Pakistan. Pakistan is a developed state and it has to be made much more prosperous and improved by making it strong and powerful. It has been estimated that almost 68% of the population of Pakistan is based on the age group of 16 to 26 and that yet in which the individual is a student.

As we all know that the modern condition of Pakistan is not what we can say to be a brighter nation. There are so many or we would have countless minor and big issues that are needed to be solved on an urgent basis. By the solution of these problems, only then we can prove to the whole nation that we are the next developed country on this planet. It is not just because of the politicians or it is not in their hands that can bring success in Pakistan. On one side, they are doing their duty then on the same side, some role has to be played by the youth generation of Pakistan as well.

Role of Students in the Development of Pakistan:

The present age of Pakistan is known to be modern. They are completely dependent on the IT and latest technology for bringing the easiness to their daily lifestyle. On one side, the IT department of Pakistan has brought about with some advance touch then on the other side of the story there is a huge change that is expected to be coming in the field of medical facilities. Not much-improved facilities are being provided for the patients and quick recovery.

Is Low Education A Biggest Hurdle in Pakistan’s Development?

No doubt that less education among the people is coming out to be one of the biggest hurdles in the development of Pakistan. This is stopping Pakistan to travel to the path line that would lead them to successful roads. It has been estimated that more than half the population of Pakistan is not enough educated.

So it is expected from the whole youth of Pakistan that they would stand up and act as the supporting shoulder for Pakistan for a better future.

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May 13th, 2016

Youth bulge or bomb harnessing the potential of pakistani youth.

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Leveraging on the findings of the UNDP’s new National Human Development Report (NHDR), Marc-André Franche opened the discussion by painting a delicate picture of Pakistan’s ‘youth bulge’.

Pakistan’s population is extremely young. Almost 64 percent of its 182 million population is currently below the age of 30, and the numbers of young people will continue to grow until 2035. The right policies could enable youth to become the driving force for Pakistan’s prosperity. However, according to Marc-André Franche, the government has not yet capitalised on its ‘ demographic dividend ’.

What is more, Pakistan only has a limited window of opportunity to leverage on its shifting age structure – the opportunity that may not come again for many generations. From 2035, the NHDR predicts that the population is posed to age twice faster than many Western countries. If the right strategies and policies are not put in place to meaningfully engage youth in their communities, deliver quality education and secure future livelihoods today, the group forming the biggest workforce in Pakistan’s history is at risk of becoming marginalised, intolerant, vulnerable to joining violent groups, and unable to contribute towards the economy or broader development of the country.

Marc-André Franche suggested that the quality of addressing the needs and aspirations of young people today “will define the common future of Pakistan – whether it grows and thrives or fails and implodes.”

Turning the discussion towards the specific opportunities and challenges for youth engagement, Franche explored three key areas where the effective policies, investments and strategies can transform the growing numbers of young people from a liability to problem-solving producers, creators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders of the coming decades: education, employment and engagement.

Education: The way to achieve quantity is through quality

According to Franche, even though education has certainly received attention from the government, the current policies are insufficient to achieve the necessary change. Today, 26 million kids are out of school, and if Pakistan is to continue with the present agenda on education, even with the accelerated support for school enrollment, it will take until 2076 to achieve full enrollment rates – a timeline which is completely insufficient to benefit from a youth dividend.

While the current policy on education places great emphasis on quantity – building more schools, hiring more teachers – the findings of the UNDP Report show that what drives quantity is actually quality.

“Parents are not sending their kids to school not because they don’t think education is important, but because they know that sending their kids to a bad school will not amount to anything,” said Franche citing the results of the UNDP research.

Similarly, he identified that approximately 76 percent of kids in Balochistan cannot do a simple two digit division. Equally shocking are the results found in higher education and vocational skills training: university graduates are experiencing high unemployment rates and there is only a 35% employment rate among vocational training pupils.

Franche argued that the skills which kids learn are often not marketable and as a result education is not having its intended effect i.e. to reduce inequalities and integrate young people into a productive workforce. Not only has this created a crisis of expectation, but it is also leading to a generation of young people who are prone to frustration, division and violence. Franche therefore sees the challenge of quality across education system as an avenue of intervention: “Quality of education is much more important than quantity for solutions to youth engagement.”

Employment: Promoting entrepreneurship

The second critical area for youth engagement, according to Franche, is employment. Every year, 4 million youths enter the job market and additional 1.5 million jobs need to be created each year until 2040 just to address the demand. On top of that, Pakistan is already facing the highest unemployment rate in the past 25 years, especially among young people, meaning that its job market actually needs to grow even faster. Furthermore, over 60 percent of young people are currently in unstable or low paid jobs, and 35 percent of those that do have a job are working in an unpaid position. This creates a tremendous aspirational crisis Franche argued, which, if left unchecked, could lead to a failure of the youth bulge.

A solution that Franche envisions is the encouragement and support of entrepreneurs who can lead the process of job creation themselves. However, it is currently very difficult for young people to access credit. 95 percent of the loan system has been absorbed by the government and there are few incentives for banks to support small enterprises. Franche proposed the relaxation of the barriers to entrepreneurship as a strategy for harnessing the youth bulge.

Engagement: Avenues for social and political interaction

Finally, Marc-André Franche suggested avenues for social and political interaction were key to maximising the demographic dividend. Over the years, Pakistan has seen a dramatic shrinking of the public spaces together with opportunities for youths to meet and engage with different people. According to the UNDP findings, 60 percent have never been to another province and 90 percent have never had access to sports facilities. In addition, 75 percent of young people did not approve of the non-Muslims’ right to preach their faith. Franche argued that the lack of exposure to individuals outside of their community have led many young people to subscribe to an increasingly divisive and intolerant discourse. To combat this, he proposed to focus on improved access to basic facilities as a way to foster youth engagement in their communities and provide effective means for reducing intolerance.

Similarly, political engagement remains a challenge and avenue for engagement. UNDP’s survey indicated a clear sign of mistrust of politics among young people with only 24 percent expressing any trust in politicians.  That said, young people remain politically active with 4 out of 5 young people having voted in the last election and over 60 percent intending to do so again. According to Franche, the results indicate that young people do indeed aspire to become active participants of the political process and communities but do lack formal avenues to do so. His proposition was to increase community centres, like a successful example of Dera Ismail Khan, where communities can gather, learn, engage with government representatives and participate in positive recreation such as sports and cultural activities.

Technology: An avenue for advancing youth engagement?

Emrys Schoemaker moved the discussion to talk about the ways how technology and social media can transform peoples’ lives. Drawing on his extensive ethnographic research, Schoemaker illustrated how technology can enable youth engagement but also how it can be used as a tool for separation, perpetuation of sectarianism and the reproduction of physical boundaries in digital spaces.

According to Schoemaker, the narrative of development through technology often sees access to mobile phones, internet, and other information technologies, as directly linked to empowerment and liberation. However, by using examples from his research in Mandi Bahauddin, Schoemaker illustrated how young Pakistanis have often used technology to maintain the existing cultural norms and traditions, perpetuate digital divides and increase sectarianism. Emrys Schoemaker suggested that technology can undoubtedly play a positive role in encouraging youth engagement. However, similarly to the issue of education, the policies on technological access should take into consideration the interplay between technological designs, identities and local traditions in order to understand the effects that technology will have on society.

Both speakers agreed that the “economic miracle” experienced by some of the East Asian economies could become a reality for Pakistan. However, the success depends largely on how well the government responds to young peoples’ needs today and leverages these opportunities in productive ways.

Note:  This article gives the views of the author, and not the position of the South Asia @ LSE blog, nor of the London School of Economics. Please read our   comments policy  before posting.

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Very good analysis, but it will be redundant if no institution takes initiative to mitigate situation. Depending on Government of Pakistan will be a day dream.

Hi Ali, thanks for your comment. I do agree with you. Other institutions and grassroots entities should undoubtedly be part of the solution. These challenges concern the society at large and the broad engagement is key to success. UNDP, together with partners, have recognised this and has been involved in activities to engage various parts of Pakistan society (and international partners) to gain the momentum on youth issues.

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Essay on Responsibilities of Youth in Pakistan

Essay on Responsibilities of Youth in Pakistan: Undoubtedly students and youth are the most powerful asset of any state or nation. It is rightly said that the progress of any nation directly depends upon its youth. And they are also able to change the worse condition of his nation. Youth is playing a vital role in the nation building. But on the other hand, those countries and nations who have denied and does feel the importance of his youth are not developed. Pakistan is falling in the list of one of them. The current condition of Pakistan is not well maintained and established because we didn’t realize the worth of your youth. But to make it brighter and overwhelming nation progress lies in the hands of youth. Here below we are going to describe the responsibilities of our youth in detail. Keep reading this article till the end will probably help you to find the best material.

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Responsibilities of Youth in Pakistan:

Following are the major and core responsibilities of the youth of Pakistan, by fulfilling these responsibilities, we will be able soon to be a developed and leading nation in all terms.

• The youth should realize the value of time because every moment of youth is priceless. In order to develop a leading and develop the nation, the youth of Pakistani nation must be punctual and take the habit of completing work on time.
• They must have to get proper education from well maintained and established schools and colleges and avoid taking part in unethical activities other than studies
• The youth of Pakistan try to take part in
• It is first and foremost responsibility of our youth is to educate and regulate discipline and must realize the worth of discipline to being a developed nation.
• Youth must try to work with tolerance. Tolerance and fortitude are the strong points to a youth. By adopting this responsible behavior will definitely add you to the list of an educated nation?
• In order to maintain discipline, our youth try to develop decent and courteous behavior first.
• Undoubtedly we are the independent citizens of an independent country, Pakistan. It is the responsibility of our youth to maintain our independence. We should realize the sacrifices of our freedom fighters that solely awake for our protection.
• It is also the major responsibility of your youth to renovate and replenish the newcomers with culture and tradition of your society. Also, guide them towards the right
• If we want a developed nation we as a youth should try to help in the implementation of government policies and law by regulating them in beneficial manners.
• Our youth and young generation undeniably are very talented and vibrant. Their utmost vibrant ideas towards the success of country lead to peace and prosperity.
• They must try to learn lessons from mistakes and take the habit of patience and tolerance which ultimately prepare strong personality. They will be able to handle and tackle the harsher and toughest situation of life.

Pakistan has a huge ratio of the youth population. From latest research, it is stated that Pakistan has 68% youth population having age 16 years to 26 years. The majority of our youth population are attached from the middle-class family they don’t afford the expanse of current modern education in Pakistan. Male youth literacy rate is 55% whereas the female youth literacy rate is lower at 40%. The employment opportunities are limited 20% youth are unemployed in Pakistan. It is the negligence of our Government who are not stable to regulate the education system and strategies to improve the standards of education. So, by concluding from this scenario how would we will able to make responsible youth?

So this is essay on responsibilities of youth in Pakistan. This essay is written for inter and matric students.

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Eurasia Review

A Journal of Analysis and News

Pakistan’s Youth Bulge: Implications And Pathways – OpEd

By Muhammad Numan

When children and young people make up most of the population, that nation has a youth bulge. Recent assessments indicate that young people under 30 comprise most of the world’s population.

A country’s youth bulge may be both a benefit and a burden. Due to higher birth rates in their populations, developing nations are most commonly affected by this problem. The infant mortality rate has been greatly lowered thanks to developments in science and health, which has led to a steady rise in the population of children and young adults. This youthful population can be productive and contribute to the nation’s economy and growth, or it can burden a state if it is unemployed and unskilled. The work market is being replaced by automation and technological innovation, which reduces the options for this youthful demographic and frustrates them. Without regard to boundaries, the youth bulge is a problem that may have beneficial or bad effects on surrounding nations and areas.

Pakistan has one of the youngest populations in the world, ranking among the top five nations. Young people under 30 make up 68% of its population. This enormous young population has the potential to be advantageous and help the nation advance in its social, political, and economic spheres. With so many young people, Pakistan has tremendous potential. However, the state is having trouble managing this large population. The growing young population is continually accumulating in Pakistan over the preceding few years. Since it is difficult for the government to give young people access to quality education and training, many remain unemployed, adding to the load on the government. Pakistan has the highest percentage of youth unemployment in the South Asian region (11.3%), which indicates that a significant section of the young cannot contribute to the nation’s economic development. Young, illiterate, and unemployed individuals are like ticking time bombs that may be easily abused and drawn into criminal activity. The dissatisfaction caused by unemployment among young people causes a decline in both their productivity and mental health. Adolescents are more drawn to crime and extreme measures when not accustomed to participating in mainstream activities. This lack of chances has impacted both genders. Particularly, women make up the smallest share of the working labour force. Pakistan requires a million or more jobs annually to accommodate the millions of young people who reach working age yearly.

One of the main causes of the youth’s lack of prospects and employment is the nation’s economic inequality. This youth’s exclusion from all options is also a result of certain other issues, such as societal norms and cultural taboos. Young people are frequently prevented from exploring chances in other sectors against their choice since they are pressured by society and families to select specific careers like physicians and engineers. The cultural concerns and their parents’ fears prevent females from pursuing a decent education. The male dominant society instils a sense of unease in the parents and pupils, which leads to limits being placed on women by society and parents, preventing many women from participating actively in society and the economy. Due to the conservative and tight environment, this trend worsens as we go from large cities to rural areas and small towns.

Additionally, more appropriate ways for these young people to address the government with their concerns and requests must be more appropriate. Due to this connectivity divide, government initiatives cannot address the younger population’s problems. These young people often engage in other activities and constantly feel the need to flee the nation when given insufficient possibilities. A large portion of young people is leaving Pakistan every year in quest of better possibilities. 

To involve these young, the government of Pakistan has started several programs. One of the measures toward this goal was the Prime Minister’s Youth Program. Vocational training facilities have also been built to teach this young population a variety of skills. This young force will greatly impact society once they join the working class. International investors have a chance to invest in Pakistan’s young. To maintain population control and lessen the load on the population, the government should also educate people about family planning. This young generation has to be educated on contemporary skills and the needs of the global economy. They should know tomorrow’s chances in advance, so they may prepare themselves and avoid falling behind. As Franklin D. Roosevelt has rightly said, “We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.”

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Muhammad Numan, a research intern at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad.

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Unleashing the potential of a young Pakistan

July 26, 2018.

By Shakeel Ahmad, Assistant Country Director and Chief of the Development Policy Unit, UNDP Pakistan

Any study of human development is incomplete without considering demographic transition; a phenomenon likely to have a profound impact on Pakistan’s future, given its young population. Currently, 64 percent of the nation is younger than 30 and 29 percent of Pakistanis are between 15 and 29 (an age group which we define as the youth). Pakistan now has more young people than it has ever had, and this is forecasted to continue to increase until at least 2050.

Why is this important?  Because the youth have the power to transform a country’s future. They could be the engines of development. Or their disillusionment could lead to social unrest.  Pakistan’s National Human Development Report 2017  studies the hopes, dreams, aspirations and fears of young Pakistanis to gather insights for transforming the "youth bulge" into a demographic dividend. It analyzes young people’s voices by consulting more than 130,000 people across Pakistan, of which 90 percent were youth, including marginalized and underprivileged young communities.

The voices of youth were heard in many ways, ranging from mainstream social media websites to more innovative approaches including direct consultation, art competitions, video messages, radio shows, the Razakaar (volunteering) programme, the  Your Idea Counts  campaign, and the #Khwab Pakistan (Dream Pakistan) campaign involving young leaders. An interesting addition to the report is a set of 101 Jawan (young) ideas, which are policy recommendations from the youth for the youth.

In addition, data from national surveys and new data from a National Youth Perceptions Survey was used to compute a sub-national Human Development Index, Youth Development Index, and a Youth Gender Inequality Index.

The data drawn from these diverse sources was used to develop a representative sample of the youth from diverse backgrounds. The findings revealed some important insights: 29 out of 100 young people are illiterate and only 6 percent have more than 12 years of education. Regarding employment, 39 of 100 youth are employed (32 of them males and 7 females), 57 of 100 youth (16 males and 41 females) are neither working nor seeking jobs, and only 4 percent are unemployed and actively looking for work.

Significant gaps were also found with regard to the space for social engagement and connectivity: only 15 percent of youth have access to the Internet, 52 percent own a cell phone, 94 percent do not have access to a library, and 93 percent lack access to a sports facility.

The report’s primary focus is to identify the drivers of change that can empower youth and harness their potential for human development. Known as the three Es, the report studied the three drivers of change namely: quality  Education , gainful  Employment , and meaningful  Engagement .

Pakistan’s constitution promises free education to all school age children. Unfortunately, the report finds that a staggering 9.45 million children are out of primary school. At the current annual net enrolment rate of 0.92 percent, complete enrollment of school children won’t be reached until 2076. To meet the goal by 2030, the annual net enrolment rate has to quadruple to 3.8 percent.

However, even if every child goes to school, that does not mean they will get a quality education: such an education remains a luxury which few can afford to pay for. The many challenges related to education include barriers for girls’ education, high drop-out rates, low levels of public investment, and an insufficient number schools.

Education also impacts the next lever of change - gainful  Employmen t. With youth representing just under half of Pakistan’s working age population, it is important to analyze whether the existing jobs are actually  decent  jobs.

Almost 4 million youth enter the working age population every year. If the current labour force participation rate and unemployment levels remain constant, 0.9 million new jobs are needed every year over the next five years. If we aim to improve labor force participation rates, an additional 1.3 million jobs must be created each year for the next five years.

Meaningful  Engagement , the third E, is an important pillar of development in a country where the majority of the youth feel their voices are not heard and that they have little say in decision-making. Lack of social engagement is creating doubt, intolerance and distrust among young people. However, despite these limited ways to have their voices heard, the report finds the youth of Pakistan want to be engaged.

Together, the three Es, can break the cycle of poverty and advance human development, the report argues. The youth of Pakistan are full of potential, energy and ideas. What they need is an enabling environment that will allow them to take risks, innovate and engage productively. The report concludes that the youth bulge of Pakistan offers a potentially important demographic dividend. However, if proper investments are not made in promoting education, employment and engagement, the youth could represent a demographic challenge. This is a policy choice to be made by the policy makers. And the time is now.

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Despite internal chaos, high poverty and unemployment, gender and religious inequality, and limited access to education and healthcare, Pakistan faces many challenges. However, the country’s youth are working to catalyze positive change.

Striving to empower their country’s future, Pakistani youth are engaging politically and calling for reforms. Through activism, they demand greater transparency and accountability from the government, along with improved access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities, so that Pakistan may prosper.

Their participation in the democratic process is crucial in ensuring that the country’s future leaders are representative of the people they will be governing.

Youth voter participation in Pakistan has declined substantially in recent years. In the 2013 general election, only 36% of eligible voters aged 18-29 cast a ballot, a significant decrease from the 52% turnout among young people in the 2007 election. This troubling trend suggests growing political disengagement and apathy among Pakistani youth.

The declining engagement among young people can be attributed to several reasons. Chief among them is the perception of a political system that is corrupt and does not address the needs of everyday citizens. This perception fosters a dangerous sense of powerlessness and cynicism in youth.

The rise of social media and the internet is another factor behind declining youth political engagement. While these platforms give young people spaces to discuss and debate politics, they also enable the spread of misinformation and propaganda that can breed apathy and detachment from the political process among youth who feel their voices go unheard.

Pakistan has a very young population, with over 60% of its people under 30 years old. This demographic reality poses both challenges and opportunities. A large youth cohort can spur instability and unrest. However, if properly engaged, Pakistan’s youth also represent tremendous potential to power sustainable development.

Though Pakistan’s youth have tremendous potential to drive positive change, limited opportunities for employment, education, and political participation pose significant obstacles for this generation.

Empowering Pakistan’s youth is crucial for sustainable development, as investing in education and employment for young people can reduce poverty and insecurity while promoting social and economic growth. Furthermore, increasing youth involvement in decision-making will help ensure Pakistan’s development is fairer and more inclusive.

As Pakistan’s most valuable asset, its youth represent the key to a more prosperous and sustainable future for the country. Investing in the next generation will allow Pakistan to unlock their potential and build long-term national success.

Pakistan’s future hinges on youth engagement in politics. Without young people participating in the political process, the country cannot make the progress required to address its challenges. The government and civil society must therefore increase youth political engagement through avenues like expanding access to information, offering civic involvement opportunities, and leveraging social media to connect with youth.

While Pakistan faces serious challenges like poverty, terrorism, and corruption stemming from years of political turmoil, the country’s youth hold unique potential to help overcome these problems.

Youth engagement in politics is vital for democracy, as young people contribute fresh outlooks and vitality to the political process. More open than older adults to new concepts and approaches, youth represent the country’s future leaders; their early involvement in the political system allows them to gain valuable experience.

To increase political involvement among young people, we can take action on individual, community, and institutional levels.

At the individual level, young people can make a commitment to learn about the political process and to get involved in the issues that matter to them. They can also encourage their friends and peers to do the same.

At the community level, schools and youth organizations can provide opportunities for young people to learn about and participate in the political process. For example, schools can offer civics courses and student government organizations can give young people a chance to get involved in the decision-making process.

At the institutional level, political parties and the government can do more to engage with and listen to young people. For example, they can create youth wings within political parties and establish youth advisory councils at the local, provincial, and national levels.

Youth engagement in politics is vital for democracy, as it teaches young people the significance of civic participation and democratic ideals while empowering them to help shape Pakistan’s future.

Active youth involvement in politics is vital for good governance, as it enables young people’s perspectives to be represented and their needs addressed.

Young people can participate in the political process through several means, with voting as one of the most vital. Exercising their right to vote allows youth to make their voices heard and influence who holds office. As a fundamental privilege of citizenship, voting empowers young people to shape the political landscape.

Young people can get involved in politics by volunteering their time and skills to campaigns or organizations in various ways, such as distributing flyers, going door-to-door, or assisting with events. Volunteering offers an excellent opportunity to learn about the political process while making a meaningful impact.

Although it is up to young people to choose their own political involvement, active youth participation in governance is vital. It ensures their perspectives are represented and promotes good leadership.

The writer is a scholar at National Defence University. 

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Developing Youth Skills for the Future: A Vision from Pakistan

World Youth Skills Day , celebrated every year on 15 July, is an opportunity to reflect on the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. The Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences - BUITEMS (Pakistan), United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) SDG Hub for Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth , is a core center of innovation to foster the targets of this Goal, in particular target 8.6: Substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training. In this article, experts from BUITEMS explore this issue from various angles and perspectives:

Preparing the Youth for Uplifting Digital and Physical Economies

By Faisal Khan, Pro-Vice Chancellor of BUITEMS, and Muhammad Nadeem, Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Engineering, BUITEMS

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the social and economic integration of youngsters, and its impact on young people is very deep and systematic. Young people all over the world had faced lack of job market even before COVID-19. Now, the economic set back has resulted in greater unemployment for this particular group, a situation deteriorated owing to the closure of schools, universities and training centers in many countries.

COVID-19 has impacted the individuals and businesses in ways the world was least prepared for. In particular, as the lockdowns began and physical activities were halted, the workload shifted to the IT industry attributable to its necessary applications in technical and vocational education and training (TVET), education, health, government, banking, as well as private and public sector businesses.

This caused a sheer need to have adequate and secure online working platforms to allow companies, institutions and organizations, in addition to hospitals and medical centers of any kind, to access global information networks and resources necessary to combat the adversities caused by virus. Furthermore, as expressed in the report Education during COVID-19 and beyond , this global pandemic has changed the entire globe’s functions.

Examples of this are the restrictions in a number of existing systems, and the demand to re-examine the role of information technologies in economic productivity and growth. Indeed, countries have established mobility restrictions which have interrupted the normal or regular functioning of society and the economy. This has altered the ways in which communities, businesses and individuals’ connect and transfer knowledge.

As a result, we need to enable the youth to contribute with the uplifting of the digital economy. Key aspects are digital privacy, cybersecurity and mitigation of vulnerabilities. BUITEMS provides guidance and support, and fosters awareness on cybersecurity, jointly with stakeholders like the Digital Rights Foundation. Since the relevance of cybersecurity in digital economy cannot be overstated, training capacity for youth around these issues, is critical for today's world.

From Innovation to Impact and Beyond – Producing the Job-Creators of Tomorrow

By Muhammad Shah Khan, Director of the National Incubation Center (NIC) Quetta, BUITEMS

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the global unemployment figure will cross 200 million people next year, with women and youth workers worst-hit. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is considered to further contribute to this crisis. The traditional way of job creation may not be sufficient to cater this problem. This is a systematic problem and therefore, it needs a systematic solution.

Institutions of higher education, worldwide, may train their students to become entrepreneurs so that they graduate as job-creators rather than as job-seekers. Pakistan is one of the largest young countries in the world with around 63% of the population aged between 15-30. But the unemployment rate among this age group is at 8.5%, one of the highest in the region. Moreover, more than a million jobs must be generated each year to improve labour force participation rates.

The only way through which this large number of jobs can be created is to intensify innovation and entrepreneurial activity. It is well-established that a rise in innovation and entrepreneurial activity in an economy results in a considerable growth of industry clusters, investment and job creation. In order to boost entrepreneurship and innovation as a mindset, the establishment of the National Incubation Center (NIC) Quetta at BUITEMS was envisaged.

NIC Quetta - BUITEMS is mandated to support young men and women to develop sustainable and impactful start-up ventures in order to create jobs, revitalize community, commercialize new technology and strengthen the local as well as the national economy. NIC Quetta is already making an impact. The Center has graduated 42 start-ups that have cumulatively created 662 jobs while generating a cumulated revenue of around USD 650,000.

Besides its start-up program, NIC Quetta has trained 58 microentrepreneurs, 76% of whom are women, through its microenterprise program. The Center has been committed to proposing innovative approaches to impact lives and raise living standards. More collaborative platforms, need to be developed to foster entrepreneurial mindsets and promote entrepreneurial culture if we are to tackle the alarming global youth unemployment rates. This is the only way forward.

Role of International Education in Combating the Pandemic

By Sahar Faiz Khan and Muhammad Jawad Khan, Assistant Professors at the Department of Economics, BUITEMS

A healthy community’s survival depends on various forms of capital including social, cultural, natural, financial, political, built and human capital. Human capital development, being one of the pillars that economies need, is of more attention during the era of a pandemic. The most valuable of all capitals is that invested in human beings. And education is without doubt, the gateway to achieve higher standards of living, specially in the developing world.

Human capital formation is a definite result of education. Outcomes of education can mean an increase in the participation of the labour force, and better earnings. In addition to this, major economic gains are attributed to a well-educated and skilled workforce. Where education changes the fate of many, the quality of education enables workers to become more competent internationally and can bring a massive change in the income levels of masses.

In regard to target 8.6, the role of international schooling system on skill development pays a pivotal role, therefore it can certainly lead to higher wages. A study conducted by Sahar Faiz Khan and Muhammad Jawad Khan, compared graduates of two educational systems in Pakistan and showed a monthly wage gap of medical professionals based on local and international certificates at high school levels.

Building on the results of this study, strategies should be designed to build resilience against the challenges of these times and fully equip the youth with top notch education so that they can adapt to any circumstance. Today, the world is counting on its youth to contribute to the recovery efforts. The international education for human capital development can be used as an important tool to help the youth to recover from the shocks of COVID-19.

Uplifting the standard of local educational systems through advanced curricula adaptation and teacher training programs is a must. A collective and combined effort of public and private sector can bring about a breakthrough change in the educational structure of countries like Pakistan, and open new alternatives so that the bright minds may outshine internationally. In a context of globalization and severe difficulties, this crisis is an opportunity for improvement.

Vocational Training for Young Informal Workers

By Ikram Ullah, Lecturer, Department of Economics, BUITEMS, UNAI Hub for SDG 8.

In today’s world, the proportion of workers in the informal economy exceeds 50% than that of agricultural employment and in the non-agricultural employment by 82%. The trend is on an increasing path, unlike what the older forecasts predicted about the decrease in the size of informal economy. Yet, the informal workers, and young ones in particular, are not only exposed to the threat of economic shock but their abilities to bounce back depend on their resilience. 

A significant factor affecting such resilience is vocational training. It is a vital tool that can diversify the employment prospects for the trainee in the informal economy while leading to improved earnings. The policies for this need to be formulated for the long-term, considering combining various regulatory laws and state interventions aiming to achieve increased productive efficiency and the knack of creating sustainable economic resources.

The first step towards formalization is to reduce the deficits in the decent work. Surprisingly, the absence of social protection in the informal economy has not hindered its size but rather the opposite has taken place in certain countries. Developing countries, including Pakistan, are experiencing a structural shift and this transitioning is vastly into the urban informal economy, where there is abundance of low productivity, low skilled and low wage jobs.

Therefore, there is a need to focus on providing skill training, the outcome of which will be a development in the overall skill profile – increased productivity and efficiency of an informal worker leading to a strengthened economy. Along these lines, the government of Pakistan started a skill development initiative called Kayaab Jawan Youth Development Programme , that has benefitted thousands of young Pakistanis working in informal economy.

Benefits from skill development projects can only be accrued if the curriculum is correctly designed. Furthermore, there are factors that diminish their efficacy, such as length, cultural beliefs, financial factors and the distance to and from training centers. Despite these variables, a prosperous economic future highly depends on opportunities to the youth in the informal economy, by providing them with modern day vocational training. 

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Youth Development Challenges in Pakistan: Need for Youth Empowerment

This paper discusses challenges related to youth development in Pakistan. Youth bulge is an ever increasing global threat and Pakistan’s majority of population is youth. No doubt, youth is a resource but if left unutilized and ignored, it can be a challenge for a country. Youth in Pakistan is facing multiple challenges that hinder their endeavor for their own development as well country’s wellbeing. This paper suggests creating and implementing effective youth policies with equal participation of young people as stakeholders. It is also recommended to create coordination among provinces of the country for the purpose of improving youth wellbeing. This paper puts forth assumption that developed youth make a developed country, so youth development must be taken as priority task by the policymakers and legislators of Pakistan. Keywords: Youth Development, Youth Empowerment, Youth Policy, Pakistan

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Atif Ikram Butt

Pakistan’s youth consists one-fifth (25 million) of its population and is one of the most valuable resources for its national growth and prosperity. An educated, skilled, and healthy youth, in other words a developed youth, would most certainly put Pakistan in the course of social and economic enrichment. Hence, it is imperative to determine where Pakistan’s youth stands in terms of development characteristics and indicators. The present study is based on a national survey “Pakistan’s Youth: Transition to Adulthood: Education, Work and Marriage” undertaken in all four provinces by the Population Council in 2001-02, with a sample size of 8,074 youth and 6,812 households in 252 communities. The survey used three comprehensive questionnaires with various modules covering education, work, marriage, fertility, and living conditions of youth, their households and their communities. The survey also covered gender attitudes, norms, mobility, and safe places. The present paper has used the data from the above-mentioned study to work out “Youth Development Index” (YDI). The YDI is a simple summary measurement, as other development indexes, of four dimensions of the youth development concept: educational attainment, employment, recreation and health seeking behaviour. The index has been analysed with other independent variables to ascertain the links of various agents and determinants affecting the development of youth in Pakistan. Then a regression model has been used to finally ascertain the factors that are most significant in a young person’s life.

Abdullah Khoso

In Sindh youth is neglected in political agendas but these are those who help political parties to win elections and come into power. Unemployment amongst youth has brought youth to crime, radicalization and violence. Civil society is also concerned about less representation of youth in the parliament and they are provided less opportunities or space to play their active role of vigilance on the implementation of basic rights and services by the state. In light of above issues, this survey was conducted to know the knowledge of youth of selected districts regarding Youth policy of Government of Sindh in context of varied dimension; to understand the capacity ga ps of the youth of target districts; and to understand perception of youth regarding their issues and challenges. This survey is basically part of the project funded by USAID in which the CSSP intended to engage with youth and other stakeholders in Sindh for providing feedback to the Government of Sindh on the SYP. These districts are: Tharparkar, Umerkot, Mirpur Khas, Tando Allah Yar, Badin, Ghotki, Shikarpur, Sukkur, Khairpur, and Naushehro Feroz. CSSP was already engaged with youth under its Voice of New Generation, a core program, which has already more than 3000 youth members which had been trained under different project by CSSP, who are playing active role in communities. This VONG program also would like to form Youth Policy Watch Committees at district level and train them in policy advocacy and oversight of public institutions, and raise awareness among the youth population of targeted districts about youth development and for the need of a youth policy in the province.

Though most of the developing countries have their youth policies in accordance with UN guidelines, still youth, in general, face problems and marginalization. The youth of Pakistan, a developing country, face the same difficult situation; the partnership in war against terrorism making this situation more bad. In this study Pakistan‟s youth policy is examined by situational analysis of youth problems and their marginalization. The tools used were interviews, focus group discussions, with relevant literature review. The universe of this study is two major cities of Karachi and Peshawar. Demographically, these are heterogeneous cities with different types of ethnic groups, sub-ethnic groups, religious groups, and sectarian groups, with mix ethnic and sectarian groups of various characteristics. The specific objectives of this study were a) to find out the causes behind marginalization of youth in urban areas of Pakistan, b) to analyze the youth development policies of ...

Journal of Education and Educational Development

Dr Erum Hafeez

Pakistan is considered to be the fifth largest young country in the world. Around 63 percent population of the country comprises youth aged between 15 and 33 (UN Population Fund Report 2017). Such a large young population has posed daunting challenges to the social, economic and political sectors of the state. The fast rising youth bulge of Pakistan seems to be a constantly ticking time bomb instead of a demographic dividend, threatening its very own existence. Poor youth engagement in the productive political, educational, economic and socio-cultural activities indicates ineffectiveness of the public and private sectors policies especially at the state level. The current research study is intended to identify the key factors behind the disengaged and distressed youth of Pakistan in the three core areas of education, economy and politics. For this purpose, a systematic literature review was carried out in which national and international labor survey reports, youth development index, national youth program and federal education and economic policies were critically analyzed alongside the relevant research studies, non-government organizations' reports and media coverage for a dynamic overview. Besides, interviews of relevant stakeholders were also conducted to investigate the issue from diverse perspectives. Evidently, youth partnership, empowerment, and engagement in educational, economic and political sectors can be the only way forward to address the increasing challenges of the country.

In any society and country the youthful section of population is of critical importance as far as development of that society or country is concerned. The youth are the vehicles on which the process of development moves forward. In Pakistan, the youth have constantly been ignored in the state policies. Successful governments have been formulating policies with least concern for the development and interest of the youth. Consequently, the potential and talents of the youth cannot be utilized for the economic and social development of the country. As the FATA has been part of Pakistan, the youth of the region also suffered the same callousness from the official circles rather, the state itself. The tribal areas are the most neglected part of Pakistan in terms of state-sponsored socioeconomic and physical development. Resultantly, the youthful portion of the areas' population has suffered even more severely. Even today, the federal government, which is constitutionally responsible for overseeing the administration of the FATA, and the relevant government departments including the FATA Secretariat, FATA Development Authority and other line departments have no direction for doing anything concrete for the development of youth of FATA. This paper looks into the potential of the youth of FATA and the need of a comprehensive policy and its ingredients to harness these potential in the great challenges to the socioeconomic and physical development of the region.

Dr. Abid G. Chaudhry , Imran Afzal

Youth constitute a major portion of the population of Pakistan. Over 110 million of the 180-odd million Pakistanis today are under the age of 29 of whom over 50 million are classified as youth between ages 15-29. Unfortunately, there are very few opportunities for them to participate in the political, social and economic life besides having no forums to make their voices heard. Also, often, the youth themselves are very unaware of their own roles and responsibilities viz a vis socio-political development and thus unable to contribute towards meeting the challenges that they or/and their communities face. This study comprised 112 students from different education institutions of Peshawar city. Respondents were selected by using the purposive sampling method regarding their age. It also concludes that the youth is disappointed with the political leadership to a significant degree and consider them part of the problems and not part of the solution to the challenges Pakistan is facing today. On a positive note the end line survey reflects the positive impact of the project that youth who underwent the trainings learned about the significance of good leadership and how to help create and promote good leadership.

Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences

Dr. Shahzad Ali Gill

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between youth empowerment and sustainable development (SD) with regards to the Prime Minister’s Youth Program (PMYP). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from randomly selected respondents (n=275) studying in Higher Education Institutions through online and self-administered structured questionnaire and from multiple secondary data sources. Findings The research findings infer that youth empowerment is significantly affected by the PMYP and there is a significant positive relationship between youth empowerment and SD. Overall, respondents appear to be satisfied with the program offerings and consider it a genuine effort toward youth empowerment for SD, but such notion also necessitates an integrated youth development paradigm in Pakistan. Research limitations/implications The cornerstone of nation’s development is an established realization worldwide that the involvement of youth in development processes is essential to save the country from “youth bulge” while converting this contour into a “demographic dividend.” It was, therefore, pertinent to explore how development actors can engage youth in order to transform priority areas into development programming and policies. Originality/value This study deals with quite an unexplored phenomenon of youth empowerment; hence, it serves as one of the first studies to provide evidence of the relationship between youth empowerment and SD in Pakistan’s perspective. Further, it also provides a basis for carrying out advance research on youth empowerment which may assist the government, NGOs and other donor agencies to understand youth issues and blueprint apposite strategies accordingly.

Anthony M. Wanjohi

Saeed Ur Rehman

Pakistan has a long history of student politics and students have played a major role in shaping the directions taken by the state and the government of Pakistan. However, the sustained involvement of external forces– both state institutions and political parties – has significantly altered student politics, leading to a situation where youth political involvement is marginalised and political engagement is viewed through potential for patronage. The political parties, struggling to engage with the youth, have yet to reform their internal structures and outreach programmes. With 63 per cent of the country's population under the age of 25, Pakistan is experiencing a profound demographic change with wide-ranging socio-political effects. Failure to improve the quality of political engagement with students and the youth in general could have a significant impact on democracy.

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The Youth of Pakistan have a lot to Contribute to the Global Economy

Melinda Good, World Bank Operations Manager for Pakistan Digital Youth Summit 2018 Peshawar, Pakistan

As Prepared for Delivery

World Bank Country Manager for Pakistan Melinda Good  delivers opening remarks to kick of the Digital Youth Summit 2018 . 

Ladies and Gentlemen, On behalf of the World Bank, I’m pleased to be in Peshawar today at the Digital Youth Summit (DYS), co-sponsored by the World Bank with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) IT Board and many other partners. As an organization dedicated to ending poverty and increasing prosperity for all, we’re proud that the Digital Youth Summit has grown from an idea of bringing together the next generation of digital innovators, to becoming a major platform to help map out Pakistan’s digital future and create new jobs and opportunities.

It is helping redefine Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as an emerging technology hub, and helping provide the necessary skills and resources for Pakistan’s youth to take advantage of digital opportunities. We are seeing promising results – as the digital strategy is implemented. So far 4,000 young people have graduated from the Youth Employment program. Combined with the growth of innovative startups, investments in infrastructure, and interest from international businesses to create jobs, we are confident that the digital strategy’s goal of creating 75,000 jobs can be achieved. We are thankful for the commitment demonstrated by the KP government with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak’s support, and everyone that helped make this summit possible. To all the speakers, trainers, and companies in sharing their knowledge and resources to train and invest in the youth of KP, we truly appreciate your efforts.

Today, 50 percent of the people in KP are age 30 and below. Young men and women stand to gain significantly from global opportunities. Let’s continue to invest in their skills and mold their ideas into new products, services, and successful businesses that will benefit us all. Let’s continue to refine policies and investments to attract investors and turn the region into the next business processing outsourcing center, which has the potential to create many jobs for women and men. Let’s seize this opportunity to connect Pakistan’s youth to a global and networked economy. In this dynamic and globalized world, the youth of even the most far flung areas of KP will increasingly have an opportunity to work, to make money, and to innovate through virtual connections whether at the office, or at home.

Most of all, we are happy to see all the young people here today—students, entrepreneurs, enthusiastic young women and men eager to learn and contribute to Pakistan’s development through the digital economy. We hope that you will be inspired by innovative ideas, learn new skills, and use them to shape your future and connect with the world. Thinking back to last year’s DYS, we were so impressed by the products and services pitched to investors at the Startup Cup. The market for digital entrepreneurship, a multi-billion-dollar industry, growing at a rapid rate and is thirsty for young talent. With creativity and passion, you can be at the forefront of social and economic change. I hope you will be in the driver’s seat of this exciting future. We are excited to learn, share and hear from you in person, or on social media using hashtags #DYS18 and #KPGoesTech. I’d also like to encourage you to join our sessions on the Vision of Pakistan at 100 Years and Fake News in the Digital Age conducted by my World Bank colleagues.

Indeed, KP has the potential to become a hub of technological innovation and business processing for a brighter, more prosperous future. Let’s continue to work together to make this dream come true.