The National Internship Programme was designed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs for the benefit of young unwaged postgraduates all over the country, who have accomplished sixteen years of education from recognised universities or degree awarding institutions, including external candidates.
The proposal was anticipated to offer financial relief to fresh graduates and also to keep them affianced and interested in acquiring supplementary knowledge and real work life experiences, thereby facilitating their employability in the country.
This programme was also advantageous to the government organisations having scarcity of officials in diverse cadres. The interns were permitted to a monthly stipend of Rs 10000 during the period of their placement, subject to satisfactory performance, duly verified by the recipient organisations.
Every year, almost 20 thousand to 30 thousand unemployed educated youth were placed in several government departments including ministries, divisions, attached departments, autonomous bodies, corporations of the federal government and provincial, district governments conveniently located near to their hometown so far as being practical on paid internship for a period of one year.
I was astonished to listen about the news that the government has ended this programme. Does the government not have enough budget to run this program? Are our politicians least interested in well-educated youth? I hope that the government will revise its policies and will soon make a strategy to entertain them because it is a programme of multiple benefits.
DR HASSAN ANJUM SHAHID
Lahore