Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan and Microsoft Pakistan have collaborated to pursue a joint initiative for promoting the use of advanced Information Technology and Cloud computing solutions, in the education sector of Pakistan. It is a pioneering and insightful initiative that includes a mega event organised every academic year, in major universities across the country. Microsoft Academic Day was recently organised at the Sukkur Institute of Business Administration (IBA) University – a bustling city on the banks of the Indus River. The series of events comprises of discussions on the Education Transformation Agreement (ETA) between the two organisations – its impact and role in the education landscape of Pakistan. The ETA helps the faculty and students to remain up-to-date with the latest technological advancements, through technical trainings, workshops and seminars. Furthermore, the Academic Day showcases Microsoft Azure and Cloud computing, how it is revolutionising education across the world and its potential role in the education industry in Pakistan.

Microsoft’s Cloud solution – Office 365, is a powerful platform used by more than 250,000 consumers in Pakistan, due to its effective performance. Similarly, experts at the event highlighted its versatility and rapid adoption for educational usage. Additionally, the participants also discussed the Imagine Cup – Microsoft’s leading technology competition, its winners over the past four years and the next year’s engagement plan. The event celebrates the commitment of HEC and Microsoft to deliver advanced training and boot camps, along with free distribution of cutting-edge software packages to universities across the country. HEC – a governing body for higher education has taken numerous ICT initiatives to provide advanced services to the education and research communities in Pakistan. Microsoft is the leading platform and Productivity Company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world and its mission is to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more. Microsoft is investing $75 million globally, over three years, to increase access to computer-science education and bring the latest technologies and tools for all youth, especially the students and the deprived communities. The HEC also announced Microsoft’s Student Advantage Programme which aims to provide free access to Windows 10 for more than a million university students to help them benefit from the Windows 10 Education. Windows 10 Education is a specific configuration of Windows 10 Pro that offers a familiar, productive Windows experience that’s streamlined for security and performance. Similarly, Office 365 offers students enrolled in higher education in Pakistan, free-of-cost access to their frequently used Office products; Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc and many other Cloud services. IBA Sukkur Vice Chancellor Professor Nisar Ahmed Siddiqui, started the proceedings with a warm welcome extended to all the guests and highlighted the role of HEC and Microsoft in education, saying, “The opportunities, this alliance opens up for students of our university are unparalleled and I would encourage our faculty and students to make the most out of these engagements.”

Microsoft Pakistan General Manager Abid Zaidi said, “Microsoft believes that social development in today’s digital era largely depends on the scale of technology awareness among the youth. The Microsoft Academic Day is a part of our pursuit to nurture a tech-savvy mindset among the Pakistani youth. Technological knowledge is the key to economic development in today’s world, that is why we are grooming and encouraging the youth to learn smart-computing skills.” HEC Pakistan Executive Director Arshad Ali, while dilating on the prospect of a continuing endeavour in partnership with Microsoft said, “We are striving to revolutionise Pakistan’s education system and it is really heartening to see the enthusiastic response from all the stakeholders.”

Published in Daily Times, March 2^nd 2018.