GUJRAT: The five vocational training institutes in the district are likely to lose Rs8 million Zakat funds meant to be used for short technical courses.

Also, the Rs500 monthly stipend of the trainee students is likely to be lapsed owing to insufficient enrolment in four of the centres.

Sources told Dawn the Punjab government had allocated more than Rs25 million out of the Zakat funds for technical training centres in Gujrat city, Jalalpur Jattan, Lalamusa, Kharian and Sara-i-Alamgir. Only Rs17.5 million had been utilised so far as the vocational centres in Sara-i-Alamgir and Jalalpur Jattan could not enroll the students against all the existing seats and the Lalamusa and Kharian centres failed to perform well.

An official of the District Zakat and Ushr Committee said Rs8 million would be lapsed till June 30 due to slackness of the VTI managements.

These VTIs offer short courses for basic education from primary to matriculation level in plumbing, AutoCAD, industrial electrician, repair and maintenance of electrical appliances, motorcycle mechanic, computer applications, office professional, clinical assistant, dress making and beautician trades.

Only those applicants are given preference for the admission, who get the local Zakat committee chairman’s certification. The trainee students are given a monthly stipend of Rs500 each besides free books and other such facilities.

The candidates, who do not want to take benefit out of the Zakat funds, can also apply for admission but they are adjusted if any seat is left vacant after the completion of the admission process.

Gujrat city’s vocational training institute located along Railway Road had started working with 150 students in May 2003. After completing courses they work in different fields and 20pc of them have got jobs abroad.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2014