Jahangir's World Times First Comprehensive Magazine for students/teachers of competitive exams and general readers as well.
When did you start COTHM?
What is the role of COTHM whereas hotel management and hospitality is concerned?
Why is government not interested in this field?
Our government is not interested in this field just having two institutions- one in Lahore and other in Karachi. Even the teaching method in the government sector is abysmal having taught the students without kitchen. It is just like as teaching someone how to drive without a car.
The education which we are offering in Pakistan is exactly at par with the US, UK and Australia. So our certification has the same value as the foreign degrees have.
All our programmes are collaborated with international organisations. All our hotel management programmes are certified, franchised and examined by Americans. Year before, we became the member of Chef Association of Pakistan, World Association of Chef Society – the largest authority on food globally, all our chefs are certified and verified by the British Association. They issue certificates to our students that is called the Institute of Commercial Management (ICM).
The education which we are offering in Pakistan is exactly at par with the US, UK and Australia. So our certification has the same value as the foreign degrees have. Besides, we are working with the US and the British Council.
Is there scholarship or free training for deserving students?
We have charity school and trained more than 500 youth free of cost. There is not even a single association which is offering such free training and the 99 per cent of these trained people are employed.
Who should attend COTHM?
Everyone can join it having the qualification from matric to masters level.
Where do you rate COTHM now?
Our commitment is number one in Pakistan. We are doing it with the best facility and who is best we are leaving it to the people to decide. The other points are the best facility and curriculum in Pakistan. If you see our library it has more than 5000 books and the price of one book is around 100 dollar or more. We have foreign qualified faculty as there is no hospitality teachers available in Pakistan.
Out of our total population, nearly 100 million are youth ranging the age between 15 to 25. So these youth need some track to go, otherwise the option will be job or jacket.
The Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) is dealing with only one lakh people. And what will happen with the rest youth; the question remains unanswered. So our government and private sector do not have the ways to put them on track.
Secondly, our youth are getting general education like FA, BA, MA, etc. At the end of the day, they do not find jobs.
Thirdly, we consider the technical jobs as low grade and people do not prefer to get technical education. So the rejected and third grade degree holders come to this technical sector.
Fourthly, our political leadership is not interested in this field. As I quote the example of the US presidents. Before taking oath, the US president goes somewhere to perform social jobs such as to paint a school. And what message he is delivering that I am like you and we are one. How many our presidents and prime ministers went to technical schools and performed such social jobs?
Our president and prime minister are in the habit of delivering lectures at Government College University, (GCU) Lahore, Lahore University of Management Sciences, (LUMS), Quaid-i-Azam University but no one bothers to go to technical institute for awarding degrees or medals.
Any message
The government of Pakistan, private sector and industrialists should understand the importance and requirement of human resource development, specifically in hospitality industry. We are short of human resource and even we can export our human resource with commitment and hardwork.
