Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Annual Report 2003
Annual Report 2003
Annual Report 2003
December 2004
Foreword
(i)
1. Introduction 1
-Objectives
-Functions
-Organization
2. Research
4
3. Publications 6
4. Training 9
5. Institutional Events
14
The importance of HRD is increasingly being realized. It has assumed all the
more significance in the context of changing regional and world environment. The
HRD come to occupy the centre stage in the developmental interventions. The
importance of HRD has been further enhanced as the economic, social and
technological changes of the current century are putting pressure on
governmental and non-governmental organizations to develop human resources
in order to accomplish information and communication technological functions.
Needless to mention that a rich human capital is a prerequisite for a meaningful
exploitation of modern technology and sustainable development.
The Centre has now become fully operational and its activities are receiving
appreciation from all quarters. In 2003, the Centre for the first time implemented
its approved programme of activities since its establishment. The Centre during
2003 has successfully completed three Trainer’s training programmes, published
quarterly HRD News, Information Booklet on SHRDC, Progress Report 1998-2002,
Directory of HRD Institutions in the SAARC countries, and hosted SHRDC Website.
I look forward to the fullest cooperation and support of the Member States
in making SHRDC as a Centre of Excellence of SAARC.
(i)
OBJECTIVES
To keep abreast of HRD related research works being conducted in the research
institutions of the region and exchange of experiences within the Member States;
To conduct research programmes in Human Resource Development (HRD) in the
South Asian Region;
To provide forum for professional interaction and policy advocacies of HRD for
robust, equitable and sustainable growth;
To promote capacity strength by extending training to Member Governments
functionaries, policymakers, trainers and development practitioners;
To provide service and support to the institutions / organizations in the region for
enhancement and exchange of their knowledge and skill within the region; and
To disseminate HRD information through seminars, conferences,
symposiums and workshops, so as to share experiences for implementation of
HRD programmes at regional level and bring out publications.
FUNCTIONS
ORGANIZATION
Governing Board
The SHRDC Governing Board comprised of 10 Members, one eminent
expert nominated by each Member State, representative of the SAARC
Secretary General, a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Government of Pakistan and the Director of the Centre. Director of the
Centre acts as Member / Secretary of the Governing Board. The Board
meets annually in the last quarter of the year.
Staff
- Research Fellow 2
- Research Associate 2
b. Locally Recruited General Services Staff
The field of HRD Research is wide. Consensus about the field of HRD is
growing. HRD encompasses adult learning at the workplace, training &
development, organizational development & change, organizational learning,
performance improvement and competence development.
HRD is a research based discipline creating the standards and foundations
for building expertise, intellectual capital, organization design, and work process
that contribute to personal and organizational development. Research also
provide the data to make an accurate diagnosis of root causes. The role of
research in policymaking is unavoidable. Research is a source of carrying out
analysis, evaluation of different policy options and strategies and its impact on
different HRD indicators.
The third meeting of the Governing Board of SHRDC suggested that Centre
should concentrate on training activities in the first year of launching its
programme of activities and carryout research activities gradually in subsequent
years. In view of the above, the Centre initiated this research related activity in
the year 2003.
i) Database Development on Macroeconomic Profiles and Human
Resource Development Indicators in the SAARC Region.
Database Development on Macroeconomic Profiles and Human
Resource Development (HRD) Indicators in the SAARC Region
A comprehensive database on HRD’s basic indicators and its institutional
framework of the SAARC Member States is a long felt need of Policymakers,
Analysts, Development functionaries, administrators and academics of the
Region. The basic objective to develop the database is to cater the need of HRD
information that facilitates in formulation of HRD Policies, Planning of HRD
development programmes and effective management of the system/ models
adopted for the improvement of HRD. In line with this objective, SHRDC has
planned to develop this database to strengthen the capacity of the Centre and to
help formulate HRD related Policies and Programmes in the region. Database is a
basis for undertaking research, evaluation and analysis of impact of different
policy option on different indicators. The Programme aims to collect necessary
national level data annually to cater the needs of HRD information and data in the
region.
The main objective of this programme is to develop a database on
macroeconomic profiles and HRD indicators in SAARC member countries and
disseminate on line to the end-users in the region. The specific objective is to
suggest policy guidelines on HRD in the Member Countries through a
comprehensive research report based on the comparative analysis on selected
indicators of HRD. The database covers the period from 1990-2002 and the main
indicators are: Macro Economic Profiles, education, health, demography, gender,
poverty, public expenditure, food security, nutrition; natural resources,
environment; and energy. The SAARC Member States require uptodate, reliable
and consistent data on social and human development in order to formulate its
HRD policy. The information for database is being collected through a structured
questionnaire through identified nodal points of HRD in each Member State. The
Centre will update the database regularly each year and publish through SHRDC’s
website as an online publication.
SHRDC has a modest publication programme on issues of HRD in the form
of newsletter, information booklet, reports, directories etc. In addition to that the
SHRDC is planning to launch an important periodical publication the SAARC
Journal of Human Resource Development (SJHRD).
During the period under review the following publications were brought out
by the SAARC Human Resource Development Centre (SHRDC):
The Progress Report gives detail of the activities and functions performed
by the Centre during the period of July 1998 to December 2002. The activities of
the Centre mainly focussed in this report were development of Centre’s physical
infrastructure, terms of reference, service and financial rules and salient features
of the meetings of the SHRDC Governing Board and implementation of the
decisions of the Board.
The SAARC Members Countries are investing a large sum of their budget on
improvement of human capital in agriculture, industry and service sectors. Today,
specialization has reached to the extent that there are research & development
and training centres exclusively or partly engaged in the improvement or
development of human resources in the SAARC Region. These could form a large
regional network of HRD Institutions/ Organizations. Despite this, the resources of
one institution in most of the cases remain unknown to another due to
inadequate information sources. There is a long felt need of policymakers,
development practitioners, analysts and academician to build a network of HRD
institutions in the region to build up a partnership for socio-economic
development and implementation of HRD related programmes in the South Asian
Region. In the absence of such work SHRDC has brought out a Directory of HRD
Institutions in the SAARC Countries.
The wide range of topics were covered in training course including Poverty
& HRD, Poverty Measurement & Trends, Tools for Participating Community
Empowerment for Poverty Alleviation, Approaches to Income Generation, Poverty
Monitoring & Evaluation and SAARC Initiatives on Poverty Alleviation. For
acquainting the participants with the Pakistan’s Poverty Alleviation Programmes,
three study visits were arranged: Visit to i) Projects of National Rural Support
Programme (NRSP), Murree, ii) Micro Finance Projects in Kalar Kahar; and iii)
National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) Projects in Mardan. These
visits enabled the participants to have the project specific experiences on Poverty
Alleviation in Pakistan. The participants presented their country reports
considering the aspects of country specific Poverty Alleviation Policies and
Programmes. A total of sixteen participants attended the course, two participants
from Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, one from Bhutan and seven from
Pakistan of which two were observers. The list of participants is at Annex-4.1.
Acting Director, Dr. M. Zahangir Kabir in his welcome address, pointed out
that the poverty is wide spread in South Asia and the countries in the region have
committed themselves to alleviate poverty. However, those commitments have
not been converted into realities. The challenge, therefore, facing South Asia is to
translate the commitments into action plans and achievements. In this context,
SHRDC’s this regional training course on “Poverty Alleviation through HRD” is a
step towards achieving the SAARC’s cherished goal to alleviate poverty from the
South Asia.
Course Coordinator Mr. S. Ejaz Ali Wasti highlighted the objectives of the
training course. He mentioned that the South Asia having 23 percent of the world
population is the planet’s poorest region. About 540 million or 45 percent of the
region’s population are living below the poverty line. He explained that this
training was a move towards achieving the long term objective of poverty
alleviation in the region.
The Minister of State/ Chairman of NCHD Dr. Nasim Ashraf in his inaugural
address mentioned that the South Asia is the poorest region in the world even
below the Sub-Saharan Africa. It houses 25 percent of the people of the world and
the future generation of this region depends on the courage of the leaders of the
South Asia. At the Millennium Summit in 2000, 189 countries including all SAARC
countries signed the summit declaration and showed commitment to fulfillment of
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Among other, the MDGs goal is to reduce
the poverty half by 2015.
Dr. Nasim Ashraf also said that in paradigm of poverty alleviation, the most
critical element is education which has been shown by the experiences of those
countries that have gone ahead in improving the human capital. However,
poverty is a multidimensional problem and the most serious form of poverty is the
poverty of opportunity. He was of the view that if we can create equal
opportunity, all other forms of poverty including poverty of income can be
addressed.
The chief guest also mentioned that integrated and holistic approaches are
necessary in poverty alleviation efforts. Economic growth, education, health and
empowerment are totally interlinked. For example, child mortality is affected by
the level of income, access to safe drinking water and sanitation, education and
other health interventions. He further added that the quality of governance and
overall social functioning can influence both growth and poverty.
At the end of his inaugural speech the Chairman, NCHD mentioned that
poverty can only be reduced by truly empowering people by giving them decision
making rights backed by constitutional/legal support. There is tremendous human
potential in this region and peace is essential to utilize available human
resources. He emphasized on sharing of best practices and learning from each
other for the solution of common problem. He expressed hope that this training
programme would be really useful for the participants to perform their
responsibilities back home.
Mr. Iftikhar Hussain Shah, gave away the certificates to the participants. In
his concluding remarks, he expressed his belief that all the participants must
have benefited from the course. He hoped that they benefited not only from
resource persons but also from each other. He added that training like this is a
participatory learning process and participants have developed a network of their
own. He mentioned that this is the first training course organized by the Centre
and in future the Centre would be able to develop a wide network of the experts
in the SAARC Region.
The Director (SAARC) mentioned that wide spread poverty problem in the
region is because of gross negligence in the area of human resource development
though the Region has very talented human resources. The region has failed to
galvanize human resources in the development process. The pace of technologies
innovation and scientific development depend on the development and
accumulation of human capital. In comparison to developed countries the
situation in South Asia is very disappointing. The major reason for this is
negligible investment in the field of human resource development. This is the
field where governments and societies of the region need to take action. At the
same time, the SHRDC can do a lot in this regard through training and research.
At the end, he complimented the staff member and the Acting Director of the
Centre for their initiatives and for successful completion of the first ever training
course of the SAARC Human Resource Development Centre.
Gender and Development (GAD)
SHRDC conducted the second training course of the year 2003 on ‘Gender
and Development (GAD)’ in Islamabad from 6-19 October. The objectives of
the training course were to strengthen the abilities of participants to carry out
critical analysis of gender issues; to evaluate gender mainstreaming in the
development process and formulate country specific strategies and programmes
to maintain gender equality, in order to achieve the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) in South Asia.
During the period under report, SHRDC conducted the third training course
on ‘Vocational & Technical Education and Training (VTET): A Means of
HRD’ in Islamabad from 9-22 December, 2003. The main objectives of the
training course were to strengthen the abilities of participants to identify the
importance of vocational and technical education & training (VTET) policies and
programmes as means for improving human capital through skill development in
the countries of South Asia. It would assist the increased workforce to plan how to
get more opportunities in the changing environment because of regionalization
and globalization processes.
The Governing Board reviewed the Audit Report of the year 2002 of SHRDC
and actions taken by the Centre in line with the Auditor’s recommendations. The
Board adopted the Report of the 4th Meeting of the Governing Board alongwith
Budget 2004 unanimously. On behalf of Members of the Governing Board,
Mr.Achyuta Pada Goswami, member from Bangladesh made vote of thanks.
Mr. Salman Bashir, Additional Secretary (Asia & Pacific), Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Government of Pakistan was the Chief Guest. In his inaugural remarks Mr.
Salman Bashir, said that Pakistan is looking forward to hosting the Twelfth SAARC
Summit in Islamabad in January 2004. We are confident that the Islamabad Summit
will be able to impart a fresh dynamism in cooperation under the SAARC auspices.
The Government and people of Pakistan will accord a warm welcome to delegates
from SAARC Member States. We will do our utmost to ensure that the SAARC
enterprise is renewed, with greater vigour, to achieve its full potential, in accordance
with the aspirations of the peoples of this region and the SAARC Charter. HRD is,
indeed one of the needs of the hour. The Islamabad based SAARC Human Resource
Development Centre (SHRDC) has made a splendid start by designing new HRD
programmes for the year 2004. This Centre can play an important role in enabling
member states to share each others experiences and in pooling their rich resources
to impart requisite skills to make economic and social development a reality,
Additional Foreign Secretary added.
Mr. Salman Bashir, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
addressing the Discussion Forum on SAARC Charter Day
Mr. Bashir also said that the SAARC Charter enunciated and obliged the SAARC
Member States to respect the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity,
national independence, non use of force and non-interference in the internal affairs and
committed them to peaceful settlement of all disputes. The vision of the founding
fathers of SAARC encapsulated the aspirations of over 1.4 billion people of South Asia
for peace and progress.
Dr. Mushtaq A. Khan, Director, Centre for Research on Poverty Reduction and
Income Distribution (CRPRID), Islamabad, Pakistan delivered the keynote speech. He
elaborated that the South Asia is the home of world’s 23 percent population and this
is the region where most of the world poor resides as well. Though the region is
striving hard to break the shackles of poverty and also is making economic progress
as well, but the absolute number of poor are still increasing due to uneven
distribution of the fruits of prosperity inter-regionally as well as nationally. Taking the
conglomerate perspective of development into consideration, and using the Human
Development Indicator (HDI) of UNDP, it is observed that all the SAARC Countries
have shown an upward trend in case of economic growth but the pace of rising
development seems to be breaking down.
Mr. Ejaz Ali Wasti (Research Fellow) and Mr. Kiran Rupakhetee (Research
Associate) of SHRDC visited Bangladesh on a Study Tour under the SHRDC
programme of activities of 2003 during the period from 26-31 December 2003.
The objective of the study tour was to build close links with prominent institutions
in HRD and review the policy, programmes and strategic options designed in HRD
in Bangladesh to identify the future research and training needs of SHRDC. They
visited prominent HRD institutions in Bangladesh including Bangladesh Academy
for Rural Development (BARD) Planning Commission, Planning and Development
Academy, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Bangladesh Public
Administration Training Centre, Bangladesh Civil Service Academy, Department of
Women Development and an NGO Gonoshasthay Kendro and discussed the issues
related to HRD in Bangladesh.
Table-1
98120.00
100000
80000
69970.64
Budget 2003
Exp. US $
60000
41200.00
40000
25917.38
16000.00
20000 11430.49
8000.00
7504.44 8000.00 7000.00
6000.00 6113.86
3500.00 4025.20
1 2 3 1395.96 4 5 6 7 2280.92 8
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Table-2
ProgrammeCostBudgetUtilization
45000
40000.00 40000.00 40000.00
40000
35000 33058.21
31048.92
30000
26644.28
25000 Budget2003
15000
10000.00
10000 8500.00
8045.26
8742.82
5000.00
5000 4000.00
2505.57
2000.00 1500.00 1500.00 1712.97 2000.00
12 03.41 763.57 1000.0
80
54.61
0.00 0.00
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Categories as inabove table
Annex - 1.1
ORAGANOGRAM OF SHRDC
Director
Admin. & Accounts : Deputy Director Personal Staff :
(RESEARCH) (TRAINING)
Annex - 4.1
Training Course on
Poverty Alleviation through Human Resource Development
15 -28 September, 2003
Participants
Bangladesh
Mr. Md. Mozzammel Hoque
Joint Chief
Population Planning Wing,
Socio Economic Infrastructure Division,
Planning Commission, Bangladesh.
Bhutan
Mr. Yad Kumar Pradhan
District Statistical Officer
District Administration, Paro, Bhutan
Maldives
Mrs. Ashiyath Shiuna
Programme Officer (Trainee)
Ministry of Human Resources, Employment and Labour,
Ghazee Building, Male -2005
Republic of Maldives.
Nepal
Mr. Arvind Kumar Rimal
Section Officer
National Planning Commission,
His Majesty’s Government of Nepal,
Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Participants
Bangladesh
Mr. Dulal Abdul Hafiz
Director General
Department of Women Affairs
37/3, Eskaton Garden Road Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Bhutan
Ms. Kuenzang Lham Sangey
Planning Officer
Dzongkhag Administration
Thimpu, Bhutan.
India
Mrs. Meenakshi Sood
Assistant Director
Ministry of Human Resource Development,
Department of Women and Child Development,
Shastri Bhawan, NIPCCD, 5 Siri Instl. Area,
Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 10016,
India.
Maldives
Ms. Aminath Widad
Research Officer (Trainee)
Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Security,
Umar Shopping Arcade, 5th Floor,
Ameer Ahmed Magu Male’
Republic of Maldives.
Nepal
Mr. Bhimsen Baniya
Section Officer
Department of Women Development
Lalitpur, Nepal.
Pakistan
Mr. Mohammad Taimur Khan,
Deputy Director,
Ministry of Women Development,
State Life Building No. 5,
Blue Area, F-6/4, Islamabad, Pakistan
Mr. Hasnat-ur-Rasool
Social Welfare Officer
National Commission for Child Welfare
and Development (NCCWD),
9 – E, Rizwan Plaza, Blue Area,
Islamabad, Pakistan
Observer Participants
Farzana Zia
Maria Shafaq
Sri Lanka
Mrs.D.A. Wickramarachchi
Director
Management and Quality Assurance Branch,
Ministry of Human Resources Development,
Education and Cultural Affairs,
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Dr. D.Gamage
Research Fellow
Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian,
Research and Training Institute,
114, Wijerama Mawatha,
Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.
Annex - 4.3
Training Course on
Vocational & Technical Education and Training:
A Means of HRD
(December 9-22, 2003)
Participants
Bangladesh
Mr. Mizanur Rahman
Senior Assistant, Secretary
Ministry of Education, Room#1812, Building#6,
Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Bhutan
Thinley Wangchuk
Asst. Principal
National Institute for Zorig Chusum, Kawangjangsa,
Thimphu: Bhutan.
Maldives
Mr. Ibrahim Faisal
Asst. Lecturer
Regional Vocational Training Centre,
Maldives College of Higher Education,
Faculty of Engineering Technology H.DH.
Kulhudhuffushi, Republic of Maldives.
Pakistan
Engr. Muhammad Aslam
Sr. Instructor
National Institute of Science and
Technical Education,
Sector H-8, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Sri Lanka
Mr. Wijayananda Ellawala
Additional Secretary
Ministry of Tertiary Education & Training, 18,
Ward Place, Colombo-7, Sri Lanka.
Annex - 5.1
BANGLADESH
BHUTAN
INDIA
NEPAL
PAKISTAN