No jobs for engineers

A few weeks back, Educational Testing and Evaluation Authority (ETEA) conducted an entry test for engineering universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It was shocking that only 5,000 candidates out of the 7,000 candidates who applied for the test took the test. Later, only a few candidates crossed the figure of 400 marks. Many universities had to accept students who have 264 marks (33 percent) or less. This shows that many students are not regarding engineering as a viable career option. A few years back, more than 40,000 people appeared in entry tests. The engineering sector in Pakistan has lost its charm. There are no job opportunities for engineers in the current market. Both the federal and provincial governments had not paid any attention to the problems of engineers. According to current statistics, more than a hundred thousand engineers are unemployed in Pakistan. The following are some of the main reasons for a dismal state of the engineering sector in Pakistan. The Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) approved many engineering departments and universities – both public and private – without looking at the market’s demand. Due to a weak economy, Pakistan could not manage to start new projects that could have accommodated engineers. The existing industries and facilities also suffered due to the economic crisis. As a result, no new job opportunities were created for engineers. The government doesn’t have any policy for managing the engineering sector. Engineers never succeeded to get a top management position in the public sector.

Unlike the doctor community which has a common platform for their issues, engineers don’t have any organisation or platform to which they can turn to raise voice for their rights. The government of Pakistan should pay special attention to the decline of the engineering field in Pakistan.

Engineer Intizar Khan

Bannu