ISLAMABAD, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday launched the country's first National Youth Employment Policy, pledging equal educational opportunities and greater access to technology and skills for young people.
Speaking at a ceremony here marking International Youth Day, Sharif said the government would use all available resources to equip youth with modern education in artificial intelligence (AI), information technology and other emerging fields.
"The future is not something you wait for; the future is something you build, now go and build it," the prime minister told the youth.
Under the new policy, the government will reserve 35 percent of labor-force opportunities for women and introduce a 10 percent annual quota for young startups, according to Sharif.
He stressed the need to eliminate disparities in access to quality education between privileged and disadvantaged sections of society, saying Pakistan's founding vision envisaged equal opportunities in education, health and other fields.
Sharif said 1,000 young agriculture graduates from across Pakistan had been sent to China at government expense for advanced training, while further batches would be sent for AI and IT education.
He also announced that a technology-focused Danish University would be established in Islamabad, with its academic session scheduled to begin next year and admissions open to deserving and talented students.
The prime minister said 700,000 laptops had so far been distributed to students on merit, while 250,000 high-achieving students would receive laptops this year.
Minister for Power Sardar Ahmad Khan Leghari said the policy would also support innovative ideas in the power sector, with 30 million Pakistani rupees (about 107,000 U.S. dollars) in annual awards and 1 billion rupees allocated over three years to implement selected ideas. ■
