ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday said students of Balochistan had a great potential to change the destiny of the country by equipping themselves with the latest knowledge and information technology skills.

During an interactive session with the students and faculty members of Balochistan Residential College, Khuzdar, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, President Alvi urged students to focus on their studies and play their role in the development of the country.

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He said that the government was focusing on the socio-economic development of the province which, unfortunately, had been neglected in the past.

He underscored that priority was being given to the development of the education sector as it played an instrumental role in the socio-economic uplift of the country.

The president remarked that the completion of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the development of Gwadar port would help to create employment opportunities as well as bring prosperity to Balochistan.

He also appreciated the government of Balochistan over its initiative of establishing residential colleges in areas such as Khuzdar and Loralai, and expressed the hope that those institutions would play a major role in the educational development of the province.

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Later, while chairing a meeting of the senate of National Skills University (NSU), Islamabad, Dr Arif Alvi underlined the need to focus on the skill-development of youth and produce manpower in line with the requirements of the market. He urged the universities to increase the number of skilled graduates to fulfill the rising demand of the market.