Call for skills-based education, HR development to unlock Pa

Key Takeaways

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Sep, 2026) Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) President Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol Thursd
He was addressing the Education & Skills Summit 2026 here at LCCI, which was also attended by Director General PEMRA Ayesha Manzoor Wattoo, Consul Gen
Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol said education was the key to changing society and stressed that Pakistan needed to bring education, character building and sk
He said the country’s economic performance lagged behind several regional countries which had started their development journeys around the same time
He said Pakistan had around 260 million people and a young population comprising nearly 60 to 65 percent of the total population, describing human res

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Sep, 2026) Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) President Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol Thursday called for a fundamental shift towards skills-based education, character building and human resource development, saying Pakistan’s greatest potential lies in its young population and this potential must be transformed into productive economic strength.

He was addressing the Education & Skills Summit 2026 here at LCCI, which was also attended by Director General PEMRA Ayesha Manzoor Wattoo, Consul General of Turkey Mehmet Eymen Semsek, Vice Chancellor University of South Asia Imran Masood, Country Head Malala Fund Pakistan Nishat Riaz, Founding Chairman PHEC Dr Nizam-ud-Din and Co-Founder UMT Abid Sherwani, along with members of the Lahore Chamber and other distinguished guests, participated in the summit.

Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol said education was the key to changing society and stressed that Pakistan needed to bring education, character building and skill development together.

He said the country’s economic performance lagged behind several regional countries which had started their development journeys around the same time but had now moved ahead.

He said Pakistan had around 260 million people and a young population comprising nearly 60 to 65 percent of the total population, describing human resources as the country’s biggest potential. He said Pakistan had tourism, agriculture, mines and minerals and other major resources, but the country’s young population could become the strongest driver of economic growth if provided with the right education and skills.

Drawing an analogy with value addition in products, he said human resources should also be developed and exported after value addition through skills and professional training. He stressed that Pakistan’s workforce should be prepared to compete in global markets. The LCCI President said improving the cost of doing business, power tariffs, interest rates and ease of doing business was equally important for creating employment opportunities and enabling businesses to expand. He said SMEs and startups should be given greater attention as they could become a major source of employment in a country where millions of young people enter the workforce every year.

Consul General of Turkey Mehmet Eymen Semsek said education was closely connected with diplomacy and expressed appreciation for the efforts being made to promote education and skills development in Pakistan. He said he preferred to listen and learn from experts rather than present himself as an authority on technical education matters.

He said Turkey and Pakistan enjoyed close relations in the field of education and that numerous delegations had travelled between the two countries during the past year. He said the Turkish Consulate was ready to facilitate further cooperation and help discover new avenues of collaboration between Pakistan and Turkey in education and related areas.

He highlighted the importance of Pakistan’s large and young population, saying the country’s youth represented both a major demand and supply opportunity in the field of education. He expressed his support for efforts aimed at strengthening educational cooperation between the two countries.

DG PEMRA Ayesha Manzoor Wattoo said education and skills were not merely the responsibility of educational institutions, as media also played an important role in shaping the thinking and aspirations of young people. She said PEMRA was established under the PEMRA Ordinance 2002 to improve standards of information, education and entertainment and to expand the choices available to the people of Pakistan.

She said PEMRA was not only a regulatory body but also had a responsibility to educate the public, create awareness and address complaints relating to electronic media. She said Pakistan’s young population could become either a dividend or a burden, and the difference would be made in classrooms, workshops and studios.

Ayesha Manzoor Wattoo said one of the biggest challenges facing Pakistan was that thousands of young people possessed degrees but were still unable to find employment. She stressed that the education system needed to respond to the actual requirements of employers and the economy.

The PEMRA DG said media had become a participant in the education process because young people spent a significant amount of time on screens. She stressed the need for responsible broadcasting, media literacy and greater awareness about misinformation and fake news.

She said freedom of expression was an important constitutional principle, but responsible broadcasting was equally necessary to protect public discourse. She urged young people to verify information before sharing it and stressed that media professionals themselves needed continuous upskilling in journalism, production, fact-checking, data work, cyber hygiene and the ethical use of artificial intelligence.

Frequently Asked Questions