SHANGLA: Private technical colleges here have urged the Sarhad Rural Support Programme and Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund authorities to conduct skill training programmes in the local colleges.
Principals Mohammad Sadiq of Nida Technical College, Anwarul Haq of Ranra Technical College and Mohammad Amin of Omed Technical College made the demand at a press conference in Bisham on Thursday.
They said that SRSP was implementing a project in four union councils of Shangla district under the Livelihood Support and Promotion of Small Community Infrastructure project, but despite submission of proposal by them to its officials they did not agree to conduct the training in local private colleges.
Mr Sadiq said the local colleges had been imparting technical skills to the students under different projects, but now SRSP was going to hold the training in Swat.
“We have standard colleges and qualified staff and deserve to be given a chance under the SRSP project to impart technical skills to the poor jobless youth,” he said.
The principals said that it would be beneficial for both the organisation and local people if the training sessions were conducted in the local colleges.
They demanded of the SRSP and PPAF to hold the training in local colleges and warned that if their request was not accepted they would move the court to get justice for the youth of Shangla.
When contacted, SRSP district programme manager Abdul Qahar said skills training would be imparted to 325 beneficiaries of four union councils of Shangla district.
He said as per requirement of the donor agency a government institute would be selected for the skill training sessions.
However, he said that Alpuri polytechnic college was non-functional and that’s why the training was scheduled to be conducted in Swat-based government college.
