Bashir Ahmad Khilji. Sixty Years of Human Resource Development in Pakistan.
Haq, Rashida
Bashir Ahmad Khilji. Sixty Years of Human Resource Development in
Pakistan. Government of Pakistan, Higher Education Commission, Pakistan.
Islamabad: HEC Printing Press. 2011. 283 pages. Price not given.
Human resource development (HRD) occupies a central position in the
advancement of a society. It is obvious from the historical experience
of industrialised countries that developing human capacity is essential
for a self-reliant and self-sustaining pattern of growth. Almost all
Asian countries, including Pakistan, continue to search for additional
appropriate strategies to respond to the rapid changes in the global
economy. Unfortunately, despite registering a satisfactory rate of
economic growth, Pakistan's progress on the human front lags behind
in terms of key indicators such as literacy, primary-level participation
rate, basic health facilities, population welfare, water and sanitation,
etc. Pakistan ranked 145th out of 179 countries in the world on the
human development index in 2011.
In this scenario, the author of Sixty Years of Human Resource
Development in Pakistan emphasises human development as a crucial factor
in the highly competitive world of trade and commerce. Typically,
Pakistan faces a situation where its burgeoning population is a
challenge to policymakers. Years of neglect on the human development
front have left a large proportion of the population without basic
necessities such as education, health, and decent job opportunities.
Developing their capacities is the only way to lift them out of poverty.
To highlight the link between economic growth and demographics, 2011 was
declared the 'population year'. This book is an opportune
contribution because it examines the issue holistically, i.e., the
impact of economic development on human resources as well as the effects
of human resources on the economic development of Pakistan. It focuses
on how a developing country like Pakistan can utilise its growing
population as a dynamic factor in economic growth.
The book consists of eight chapters. Chapter 1 sets the stage for
discussion, highlighting the role that human development has played in
the advancement of societies and pitching it as the key factor that
pulls people out of poverty and reduces inequality. It argues that
Pakistan has failed to invest adequately in enhancing the potential of
the majority of its population, not only impoverishing them, but
forsaking its own growth potential as well. The rest of the chapter lays
out the country's historical background, its geography, the
structural changes it has gone through, and the present economic
scenario. It also reviews the existing literature, which it divides into
general studies, studies related to developed countries, and those
related to developing countries. The author examines the data and
methodological issues with model specifications.
Chapter 2 highlights the concept and meanings of human capital
formation, its objectives, components, significance, and comparison of
various countries. The author describes the needs of human capital
formation in Pakistan's context, referring to different theories of
investment in human capital. Identifying factors of human capital
formation that include health, education, science and technology,
vocational training, and migration, he conceptualises and defines
manpower planning, and documents its techniques, important steps, and
procedures with reference to Pakistan.
Chapter 3 discusses components of HRD, which encompass education,
science and technological development, the development of food, health,
and nutrition, sanitation and safe drinking water, professional
training, development of migration and remittances, and information and
technological development. The salient features of Pakistan's
population--size, growth, and composition--are analysed in Chapter 4.
Chapter 5 compares the efforts made by Pakistani governments in the
field of HRD--institutional frameworks, and quantitative and qualitative
scenarios of HRD--with those made by other countries in the region. It
also highlights the issue of child labour and the importance of women in
development with reference to Pakistan.
Demographic estimates and projections play an important role in
socioeconomic and developing planning. Targets for future national and
regional growth are often fixed on the basis of a population's
anticipated size, its distribution, and age structure. Population
projections are not only necessary to estimate the growing demand for
food, housing, education, and health facilities, but also to indicate
the future size of the labour force. Accordingly, Chapter 6 explains the
relationship between HRD, economic development, and labour force
projections, and provides an empirical model of the imbalance between
supply of and demand for manpower in Pakistan.
Chapter 7 explores the relationship between human capital formation
and economic development, using a time series econometric technique. The
analysis concludes that infant mortality adversely affects economic
development while literacy rates, expenditure on education and health,
life expectancy, primary school participation rate, and gross fixed
capital formation have a positive impact on economic development.
Finally, Chapter 8 makes recommendations on how human capital formation
could be improved, with the view that a large population can be
considered capital instead of a hindrance in economic development.
The book is a valuable resource for students, researchers, and
policymakers. Its relevance to Pakistan's national needs is
self-evident, given that it covers various phases of its national
history and presents a comprehensive picture of HRD in the country.
Rashida Haq
Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad.
