Preparing our youth for CPEC

There is no doubt that the CPEC narrative at the regional level is a positive sign

The acronym for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is pretty well known to Pakistanis. Our entire political and economic arena is revolving around it, looking at it with one view that is hope of economic prosperity, leading to peace building and security. It is a gigantic window opening employment opportunities, entrepreneurship and the economy; a much-vaunted forthcoming attraction for the youth. But are we ready to include our youth to its supply-side? Or, are they ready to become a quality human resource to avail this opportunity? And what is the way forward to prepare them against meeting the demand-side of CPEC?

When we say CPEC, it means spending $51.5 billion till 2030 in three phases. It aims at energy, infrastructure, rail-based mass transit projects, new provincial projects, proposed special economic zones and social sector development projects. Details of these projects’ volume and scope leave the comparison between social sector development and economic opportunities, during the execution and aftermath of CPEC.

At this point it is essential to unfold CPEC for dissemination among the country’s young population in a bid to find their technical, economic and social connections with it. For instance, energy projects range from Port Qasim Electric Coal Fired Project to Karot hydropower station, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. New provincial projects will include Keti Bunder Sea Port Development Project, Chitral-CPEC link road from Gilgit, Shandor, Chitral to Chakdara and Quetta Water Supply Scheme from Pat Feeder canal. Special economic zone includes Dhabeji, Bostan Industrial Zone and Moqpondass SEZ Gilgit-Baltistan. Moreover, other developments will include the East-Bay Expressway, international airport, construction of breakwaters, Pak-China friendship hospital, Gwadar University, upgradation and development of fishing, boat-making and maintenance services to protect and promote livelihoods of locals. On the other hand, social sector development projects, which are people-to-people exchanges, will result in the transfer of knowledge in different sectors.

There is no doubt that the CPEC narrative at the regional level, overpowering paranoid security discussion and paving way for the competition of economy between countries instead, is a positive sign. It is more of a tangible economic benefit, paying less attention to the social outlook of it, which, however, we can bridge by involving the youth at the right time to the right direction.

The preview of CPEC envisages not only employment opportunities but services development, preparation of small businesses in the backdrop, opening up of new locally registered Chinese companies, joint ventures of public-private partnerships, mobilising markets at large, boosting productivity, lifting exports and giving a large spur to private enterprise. Hence, in order to maximise the benefits of youth employment and entrepreneurship, we need to prepare them as a quality human resource, inclusive of technical skills and soft tools, such as the social impact of the economy and understanding socioeconomic dynamics by the presence of Chinese on ground.

It is high time to impart these skills and curricula, train teachers, teach Chinese, provide higher education with tools, such as social sciences peer-review journals, qualitative educational standards and economic employment inclusive of social entrepreneurship, which will ultimately link a trained, equipped and well-prepared youth to the new era of economy.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6^th, 2017.

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