Historical developments and current situation of technical and vocational education in Pakistan

Abstract

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is essential worldwide due to its prominent role in preparing the skilled workforce to participate in economic development. This article reports on the TVET situation in Pakistan. First, it reports the historical developments of TVET in Pakistan. TVET has been given priority in policy documents since the independence of Pakistan, but real practical work has been done in the last two decades. National and provincial governments have formulated many new policies to improve TVET and created new governing authorities to regulate it. This results in increased TVET institutions and enrollments. However, this article also identified the significant challenges to TVET in Pakistan. Governance and infrastructure problems, gender inequality, and quality of teaching and learning are three critical challenges to developing TVET. National and provincial governments should partner with local industry and international organizations to build a better framework for TVET in Pakistan.