اردو
  • The need to encourage entrepreneurship at University level

    Entrepreneurship Can Be Learned Entrepreneurship Can Be Learned

    We live in a world full of opportunities, we hear clichés such as impossible is nothing and possibilities are endless yet still a vast portion of undergraduates and graduates from various universities in Pakistan fail to attain a respectable job.

    Global economic shifts with regards to drop in oil prices resulted in layoffs across many oil exploration/petroleum technology companies operating in Pakistan, the telecom sector is not the same as it was a decade back in terms of being a lucrative job opportunity provider, the banking sector is past its prime period in terms of creating job opportunities for fresh incumbents, our cash crop production is not at an optimum level that would meet both the domestic needs and the export need which results in a deficit in terms of the countries Balance of Trade.

    These and many more industries have not being able to cope up with rise in inflation and unemployment that the country has faced over the last five years, yet universities across the country are producing a substantial number of fresh undergraduates and graduates.

    Indeed it is encouraging to see that parents have realized the need to educate their children with an aim that one day there young wards will make a name for themselves. However, the approach should be more practical and realistic.

    We all as citizens of a developing country must realize the fact that there is a substantial gap between the number of graduates produced in a fiscal year and the number of jobs created across various industries operating in the country in a fiscal year.

    The harsh reality check is that this gap is not going to decrease in the near future. Neither can the industries at present create the optimum level of jobs that are required within the country nor can universities be discouraged to produce undergraduates and graduates.

    Therefore, graduates need to be proactive and strive for adequate entrepreneurial opportunities rather than seeking sheer serendipity with respect to everyone securing good jobs. This is where i believe HEC ‘Higher Education Commission’ has a role to play.

    It is a regulatory body for all the universities operating in Pakistan just like SBP is for all the banks operating in Pakistan. Therefore an integral role can be played on part of HEC by urging universities to promote entrepreneurship through offering separate and specific entrepreneurial related programs in addition the courses offered in the curriculum of BBA and MBA programs.

    Furthermore, university graduates with unique and innovative ideas must be encouraged (aided financially with government support) and brought forward as this is the logical way at present to create earning opportunities for the nation’s youth.

    (Danyal Salim Jilani is a student of MBA in Bahria University)