Special Supplement on China Pakistan Economic Corridor

the diplomatic insight 1 Special Supplement on China Pakistan Economic Corridor Making the case for Human Resource Development through Development and Economic Growth – the case of CPEC Baela Raza Jamil

here can be no sustainability of Pakistan (Federal and Provincial) must to upgrade the human resources, Tthe China Pakistan Economic exponentially focus on all districts along facilities and opportunities for their Corridor (CPEC) without a parallel the corridor in general and those which development through a dynamic 5 year China Pakistan Corridor. have poor indicators in particular. CPEC district education plan (DEP) Economic Growth can only be fueled for each of the 19 districts spanning by human resources enabled by The current 19 districts of the CPEC programs for age groups from 2 years opportunities for learning, technical from Gilgit Baltistan to Sindh is an to 40 years of age in hard and soft skills, and transactional impressive list indeed. skills, an age group comprising 75% of technologies. our population. These districts are our Hunza-Nagar- Diamer (3 districts invaluable national asset, but remain The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Gilgit Baltistan); Kohistan, Battagram, constrained by major challenges of (CPEC) comprising almost 3000 Mansehra, Abbotabad and Haripur – health, nutrition, poverty, decent jobs, (2,700)- kilometer stretching (5 districts Khyber Pakhtoonistan) ; environment and climate change. These from Kashgar to Gwadar is a gigantic Attock, Mianwali, Sargodha, Layyah, multiple fault lines can be addressed milestone for Pakistan . The project is D.G.Khan and Rajanpur (6 districts comprehensively, attracting public an impressive collaboration for China Punjab); Dera Bugti, Khuzdar, Pungur, and private domestic financing as and Pakistan but especially for the Gwadar (4 districts Balochistan) and well as external financing from China latter where it will be a game changer Jacobabad(1 district Sindh). Of these and other development partners. Such for human development and economic 19 districts, almost 11 have enrolments an approach presents an opportunity growth. Extending from the Karakoram less than 80% and learning levels below for ‘innovating financing models’ for Highway that links China’s Province 50% of grade 5 children tested for grade Pakistan, combining cross-sectoral of Xinjiang with Pakistan’s north 2 level competencies with major gender pooling of resources for infrastructure, , the infrastructure project will gaps! These girls and boys will be the services, health, education and skills be building economic zones along the human capital for CPEC, clearly unable (hard and soft). corridor. CPEC will stretch across all to match with the aspirations of the 5 provinces bringing a conservative “economic corridor”. It is imperative On June 23rd 2015, a letter was written investment of USD 45 billion over the next 15 years. It will also establish energy and infrastructure laying the foundation for an unimaginable supply chain, numerous and services clusters and small cities. But none of this can be sustained without giving adequate attention to education, technical vocational and livelihoods skills and a high degree of environmental stewardship and civic responsibility. The overlapping of industry clusters with social capital clusters is a unique opportunity that Pakistan cannot afford to miss and it will not too! The synergies are obvious as are the dividends.

There is much written on the benefits of CPEC and more will emerge as the research on various dimensions deepens. The purpose of this note is to highlight that the government of the diplomatic insight 21 Special Supplement on China Pakistan Economic Corridor by the civil society organization Idara- doubt, a win-win program where the DISTRICTS along CPEC: (19 e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) to the Prime government of China, national and district) Minister of Pakistan Mian Nawaz provincial governments and people Sharif prior to his participation at the will join hands with industry. This Province Name Sr. District Name Oslo Education Summit on July 4-5, initiative mobilizing foreign and # 2015. The segment which highlighted domestic financing will be a huge 1 Hunza-Nagar CPEC is reproduced below to provide additionality for education that must Gilgit-Baltistan 2 Gilgit a context for why education and be provided due space in the upcom- 3 Diamer economic clusters must go together. ing new National Education Policy in 2016 in the financing, basic, tech- 1 Kohistan - The China Pak Economic Corridor nical vocational and higher educa- 2 Battagram Khyber (CPEC) must have a mirror China – tion chapters. http://www.osloedu- 3 Mansehra Pakhtunkhwa Pak Education Corridor that ensures cationsummit.no/ 4 Abbottabad full integration of economic growth 5 Haripur and education. This mega initiative After September 25th 2015 when will help us develop an education/ 166 world leaders endorsed the 17 1 Attock human resource cluster alongside Sustainable Development Goals 2 Mianwali the industrial//service clusters (SDGs) 2030 at the UN General 3 Sargodha Punjab across 3000 kilometers pathway. Assembly including our Prime Minister 4 Layyah This integration and alignment will where each goal is inextricably linked support human resource needs for to education for sustainability, CPEC 5 DG khan the next 50 or 100 years through is an opportunity to collaborate across 6 Rajanpur formal education/industry part- sectors. It can, and must be an intensive 1 DeraBhugti nerships. Sir it is imperative that a model for inter-sectoral planning and 2 Khuzdar Balochistan multi-sectoral task force is formed constituency building; the general 3 Gwadar under your able chairmanship steer- elections are just 2 years away, CPEC ing your key team leaders, industry could be an accelerator, lifting the 4 Punjgar captains, experts, local parliamen- political of education for Sindh 1 Jacobabad tarians, youth and citizens to design sustainability to new and legitimate the architecture of this synergy and heights. For Education Profiles- District details of this initiative. This is no Rankings & Data • www.aserpakistan.org

• http://www.pbs.gov.pk/content/ pakistan-social-and-living-stan- dards-measurement

• http://www.alifailaan.pk/district_ rankings

The writer is Advisor - Trustee Idara- e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), www.itacec. org

22 the diplomatic insight