Punjab Youth Internship Program: Delays, mismanagement mar distribution of certs

CM Sharif was over 4 hours late at the ceremony.


Our Correspondent November 17, 2012

RAWALPINDI:


Poor arrangements and the three-hour-late arrival of the Punjab Chief Minister earned the ire of thousands of students and parents at the Pir Mehar Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (AAUR).


About 4,900 graduates and postgraduate students from Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Jhelum and Attock were to be given certificates by Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif under the Punjab Youth Internship Program (PYIP).

The management of PYIP Lahore had informed some 4,900 postgraduate and graduate students of the four districts via email and SMS to come to AAUR at 8:30am and then return at 12:30pm to get internship letters during a ceremony to be headed by the Punjab chief minister.

Confused students and their parents started reaching the varsity early in the morning to avoid any trouble, only to be greeted by disarray.

The management had not arranged enough chairs for the number of invited visitors and students. There was also no water, refreshments or food available for visitors, who had to wait for the whole day.

A number of students, mostly female, who had come from far-flung areas went back to their homes without even collecting their internship letters.

Rabia Bashir, who completed a bachelor’s degree in information technology from AAUR, expressed deep anger over the treatment meted out to her by the management. She said that she left Chakwal at 6am to reach the varsity on time. “Now, eight hours have passed but the function has not even started. I have not eaten anything since the morning. Cell phone signals are [being jammed] and nobody is even offering us a glass of water here. What kind of function is this?” she said in a distressed voice.

Asifa Mobeen, a gold medalist from Wah Cantt, said she and her mother came at 8:30am to participate in the function. “We have been here eight hours and the function has not even started.”

CM Sharif arrived at 4:45 pm, over four hours after the scheduled time, and awarded internship letters to some 4,900 students.

In his address, he said that unemployment is rampant, but no political party had tried to address the issue. “PYIP would not only help the students get jobs in reputed organisations and companies and get basic training according to their education, but also enable them to earn livelihoods.”

He said that the number of women applying for internships is much higher than men.

CM Sharif announced that another 125,000 laptops would be distributed among outstanding students after the end of Muharram. He said that a total of 15,000 laptops would be distributed among talented students from Rawalpindi division in a ceremony at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2012. 

COMMENTS (90)

khizer hayat | 11 years ago | Reply

dear Sir,

I attend the ceremony at Sargodhaon 5th of December but did not receive my placement letter.please inform me soon. Thanks
sidra | 11 years ago | Reply

sir i received the internshib badge in 8 novembr in agri uni, but after it no reply of joining mail.kindly tell me about it

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