Entering world of innovation and entrepreneurship
WE are grateful to the sacrifices that have been made leading us to be in a comfortable and peaceful livings.
We are sitting comfortable with pleasant environment spending and cherishing good memories with our families.
But still the slavery of 100 years has its leftovers in our life, we are still striving and struggling for a real freedom.
A country’s traditions, culture its social norms, way of life and future desires depict their inner maturity.
Our attitude is built upon the experience we gain from our seniors, peers, media and to some extent from our past.
Today’s Pakistan is not what our fore-fathers struggled and scarified for but they wanted a Pakistan which shall be peaceful, progressive and prosperous; where all has equal rights, there will be unity, faith and discipline, where major role shall be contributed by institutions.
where there will be a nationalism and not the indivualism or where each one has to struggle for their survival.
54% of our youth is between 15 years to 55 years and another 15 % which shall be in teenage in next 10 years and 5% is already in the zone of teenage.
So 80% of the Pakistan population is in the phase that we can enable them and utilize them for betterment of Pakistan’s future development and prosperity by revolutionary steps.
The world has set high standards and came out of traditional way of learning to the project-based and using scientific methods.
Pakistan has been taking the measures of scientific learning but they are more to private school system and as majority of our children are from the low-income segment which affords only public schools.
From government offices it is being said that we have to be innovative but how we reach there is yet to be achieved.
Youths is looking towards the higher command offices for right direction, career counselling, project-based education, Science and Technology facilities, Support and encouragement morally and financially.
It needs extension at peripheries so large number of population in our villages can be benefitted.
This will decrease the urbanization which is remarkedly grown as per the report of UNDP “Pakistan has the highest rate of urbanization in South Asia.
According to the 2017 Population Census, 36.4 per cent of the population lives in urban areas.In 1998, this figure stood at 32.5 percent.
Other estimates, based on a modified definition of urban settlements, suggest that the ratio of urban to rural population could be 40.5 percent and even higher.
The United Nations Population Division estimates that, by 2025, nearly half the country’s population will be living in cities”.
We need to ensure that the royalty will be given to the owner of the intellectual property holder and he will get his due reward.
A living example of this is a businessman who just float an idea in the construction and building industry with innovative and entrepreneurship model.
Pakistan in the long-term achieved benefits but it has also even brightened many life and opened new horizons of development for hundreds and thousands of Pakistanis.
I personally met a with few youngsters who are super-intelligent and with unique intellectuality but only they are looking towards some miracle.
There are hundreds and thousands of youths out there who could not get the education but they are technical much capable than others and only they need is the support and trust.
What they only need is a project-based study and inclusion of another career as a major subject from school level for those who have the potential but had not studied due to their financial constrains.
A syllabus and curriculum can be designed similar as intermediate, Bachelors and Masters from the very beginning in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Medical students and graduates can also be offered innovation and entrepreneurship Fellowship Programme.
During the post graduation two years in relevant field and next two years in the attachment of engineering University and similarly for engineers who are with weak medical knowledge but interested to proceed innovations in medical field can be taught a medical curricula for a better understanding the background and medical concepts; later receive a fellowship degree.
This was suggested from my mentor Prof Iftikhar Hanif, Professor of innovation during our visit to Malaysia for attending innovation conference and Pakistan received gold medal as well as Best Achievement Award out of 16 countries.
A school and university of innovation and entrepreneurship can be established and hundreds and thousands of street children, transgenders, children in prisons, children who are more inclined and have capacity to project-based study can be enrolled in the school of innovation and entrepreneurship then college and university level education.
I believe that right decisions, towards right direction with prompt actions from the acumen and sagacious leadership are awaited: To shine and glorify the today’s youth to build a Pakistan which shall sooner dignify around the globe; the day will not be far when we shall be a leading country of the world.
—The writer is contributing columnist based in Rawalpindi.
