Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication’s Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) for Girls programme has opened doors of IT and modern knowledge for future technicians of Pakistan to become entrepreneurs and contributors to national development.

The Ministry’s spokesperson told media that around 226 computer laboratories with allied facilities in educational institutions for girls especially in rural areas of ICT were being established.

The labs are being established under the present government’s initiative called the Prime Minister Education Reforms Programme (PMERP) which was launched with focus on uplifting standards of educational institutions in Islamabad.

In collaboration with Microsoft, teachers are primarily trained on Super Skills for 21st century in addition to the technical domains ie cloud computing, web designing, coding, introduction to databases, basic computer programming, basics of software design and development, the ministry official told media persons.

A total of 202 teachers have also been placed at these institutions and it will help in making over 110,000 girl students computer literate studying in Islamabad’s schools and bringing them at par with students elsewhere in the world.

Ministry of IT & Telecom through the USF recently signed an MOU with Huawei at the Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona, under which they will cooperate in spheres of programme designing, training and sharing successful experiences in regard with broadband services, vertical public services and intelligent digital platforms.

It will help develop National ICT services execution strategy, support Joint Innovation center (JIC) for empowering women who are benefiting from the Universal Service Funds of ICT for Girls programme, he added.

According to the Ministry of Information Technology, the other objective of the programme, launched with joint effort of Pakistan Baitul Maal (PBM), USF and Microsoft, was to help prepare many young girls from underprivileged areas of society, with a goal that they can get suitable occupations.

So far, over 150 computer labs have already been established in the country under PBM”s Women Empowerment Centres at a cost of Rs 300 million and around 35,000 students are getting training annually.

ICTs for Girls has been playing an active role for knowledge enhancement and ultimately financial independence of women in the country.

Microsoft has been collaborating to provide training to young girls which has been empowering and accrediting them to participate in socio-economic development and bridging the gender digital-divide.

Official sources at Capital Administration and Development Division while listing steps being taken said these labs would provide equitable opportunities to excel and spread benefits of telecom revolution to rural area students in ICT.

In its first phase, the USF, which is a subsidiary of the Ministry of Information Technology would establish 107 computer labs in rural areas’ educational institutions with allied facilities and teaching faculty.

The sources said tentatively, these labs shall be available from the beginning of the new academic session.

Every effort is being made by the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), Islamabad to impart quality education to children of ICT including schools situated in rural areas.

Regarding FDE’s steps taken so far, the sources said ICT has been divided into six administrative sectors and an officer equivalent to BS-19 heads each administrative area.

Four out of these six areas are located in rural sectors. Since 279 out of 423 institutions under FDE are located in rural setup, hence all initiatives are equally balanced in rural and urban sectors.

The sources said a major share of 70 buses reached so far have been provided to the rural sector schools while 2,147 white boards and 303 water coolers with filters have been installed in educational institutions at a cost of Rs 21.4 million under rehabilitation/uplifting of 200 institutions in Phase II.

Renovation/rehabilitation of physical infrastructure of 200 educational institutions under PMERP in ICT costing Rs 2742 million is in process whereas Rs 1,000 million has been sanctioned for the scheme. In phase III, the remaining institutions will be upgraded and missing facilities if any, shall be provided whose cost estimation is in process through the project director of PMERP.

Published in Daily Times, March 26^th 2018.