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UNDP highlights disparities facing youth bulge

Report says 29% of youngsters have no education; 57% do not pursue employment

Our Correspondent | August 28, 2023 

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ISLAMABAD: The youth forms 64% of the Pakistan’s total population, but a
meagre portion of 6% get higher education, while more than one-quarter of
them, 29%, have got no education at all, according to the ‘Pakistan’s National
Human Development Report’.

The report, released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Sunday,
highlighted insights into the current state of the youth bulge in the country. It said that 39%
of the young people faced significant gender disparity, while many of them lacked connectivity
and social engagement space.

The report said that only 4% of the country’s youngsters were actively pursuing employment,
while 57% of them remained out of touch to seek employments, adding that an overwhelming
majority of the youth had limited access to the internet, cell phones, libraries and sports
facilities.

Moreover, the report continued, around 9.45 million children were not enrolled to primary
schools despite Pakistan's constitutional commitment to free education for all. At the current
pace, it said, a complete enrolment won't be achieved until 2076.

The report pointed to various measures to effectively utilise the youth bulge as a demographic
dividend. To meet the global education goal by 2030, it stressed that the annual net
enrolment rate must be quadrupled from the current rate of 0.92% to 3.8%.

Mentioning that almost 4 million young people enter the working-age population each year,
the report said: “This youth bulge can be harnessed as a driving force for positive change,
particularly in the realm of family planning and healthier population management.”

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Without interventions however, the report warned, the current labour force participation and
unemployment rates could not accommodate this influx. “To address this, about 1.3 million
jobs need to be created annually over the next five years to reduce unemployment.”

The UNDP report pointed out that the ‘Delivering Accelerated Family Planning in Pakistan
(DAFPAK)’ programme led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO),
recognised the potential of Pakistan's youth bulge.

“The KhairKhwah platform, under the DAFPAK programme, is a commendable effort to

 empower young individuals with information about reproductive health and family planning.
Yet, to fully realise the demographic dividend, a holistic approach is imperative,” it added.

The report suggested that the country must focus on comprehensive education reforms,
bridging gender gaps, providing skills development opportunities, and enhancing job
prospects. “The youth must have access to quality education, equipping them with relevant
skills for the workforce,” it said.

The report underscored the importance of gender equality initiatives, terming them essential
to ensure equal opportunities for all. Moreover, it continued, creating an enabling
environment for entrepreneurship and innovation would drive the economic growth.

It suggested that the Pakistan authorities could turn challenges into opportunities by
investing in education, skills, and opportunities, emphasising that the Pakistani youth could
drive progress, healthier families, and economic growth.

With concerted efforts from the government, civil society, and international partners like
FCDO's DAFPAK, “we can ensure that our youth play a pivotal role in shaping a healthier,
more prosperous Pakistan for generations to come,” it said in a press release.

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