President Dr Arif Alvi, on Friday, emphasised upon the need to accelerate efforts to adopt technological advancements in every field of life.
He was addressing the closing ceremony of the ‘HEC-Huawei ICT Skill Competition 2018-19’ held here at HEC Secretariat. The ceremony marked the announcement of winners, who will compete in the Global Final to be held in China next month.
Congratulating the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Huawei for successfully conducting the competition for students, he remarked there remained a huge potential of exports and employment generation in Pakistan’s IT and Telecom industry. This actually held the key to any country’s development, he added.
“Such competitions will prepare our younger generation to effectively contribute for country’s socio-economic development,” the president noted.
Last September, ‘Huawei ICT Competition Pakistan 2018-19′ was launched through a roadshow and workshops held in 53 universities and academic institutions across Pakistan. More than 5,000 students attended the examination conducted on the Huawei’s learning platform, out of which, top 300 students were invited to attend the second round. Herein, 171 students passed the HCNA Certification.
The top 100 students took part in the National Final and the most competitive top six students were selected for the Middle East International Final in China.
In May 2019, the top three students, Zohaib Anwar, Jawaria Abbas and Asim Fareed, shall participate in the Huawei ICT Competition Global Final in China with other regional winners from all over the globe.
Speaking to the audience, the president stressed the need to realize the swiftly increasing scope of the information age and the implementation of the right strategies to bring in relevant technologies in different fields.
He gave various examples of education, health and agriculture sectors as prospective domains and underscored the fact that a proactive approach was required to identify and incorporate IT solutions in every single field.
Dr Alvi also highlighted the role of the state to ensure the younger generation was provided with every opportunity to unleash their talent and play an active part in this age of rapid transition and the application of technologies.
He narrated how he had been endeavouring to bring in IT solutions for his political activities, not only in his constituency but also through reforms in the election processes at the party and even national levels.
He talked about the gaps in the education provided at our universities and the demand in different markets.
“Though in some areas, we see a very relevant output of graduates but overall we have to make more concerted effort to ensure a person graduating from a higher learning institution has the relevant and updated skills and knowledge.”
He added, “Relevant research is inevitable if Pakistan has to progress and stand tall in the comity of nations.”
Dr Alvi mentioned how China had emerged as a global leader, particularly in the development and adoption of the latest technologies. He also acknowledged the tremendous achievements of Huawei in a short span of time.
Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training, Shafqat Mehmood, also spoke on the occasion and congratulated the students who had won at the competition’s national level. He wished them luck for participation in the Global Final. The minister also advised the students to remain firm and committed in their efforts.
“As our Prime Minister always says that if you don’t accept defeat, nobody can defeat you,” he established.
The minister talked about the government’s focus on areas where technology could help us leapfrog.
He added, “Efforts are afoot to link the skill development of our youth to the country’s future requirements, and to ensure an environment is created where ideas can flourish.” He further appreciated HEC for taking a number of initiatives for this purpose.
“I further assure the government’s full support is for innovation and technology,” Minister Mehmood maintained.
Commending Huawei for its rapid progress in record time, the education minister acknowledged how the company had invested in various technological projects for the youth of Pakistan. He went on claiming, “There is no doubt that the friendship of China and Pakistan is deeper and stronger, which is clearly reflected in such joint initiatives in various fields.”
HEC Chairman, Dr Tariq Banuri, also thanked the president for taking out time for the event as well as for his continuous support to the cause of education.
He cited two examples from news stories that had appeared in a section of media on Friday morning: selection of five Pakistanis in the Forbes’ 30 under 30 list and about a man’s attempt to build a small aircraft in Pakpattan. Dr Banuri used them to highlight Pakistan’s potential to grow and take the upcoming technological challenges head-on.
“The only thing we need to step up is to unleash this imagination and creativity of our people, particularly youth,” he asserted.
The chairman emphasised, “Technology is input in the development process, the real source is imagination.”
He expressed satisfaction at the commission’s efforts to create an environment where Pakistan’s youth was enabled to do so.
Dr Banuri particularly mentioned the services rendered by Pakistan Education and Research Network (PERN), which connected universities and research institutes at the national as well as global levels to enable them to keep pace with the world.
Describing HEC-Huawei partnership, HEC Chairman said this collaboration had helped Pakistan in the development of ICT setup. Huawei was said to have taken different ICT initiatives through collaborations with HEC.
In his remarks, Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing said the global economy depended upon the development of ICT, which was a pivotal element for the nation’s progress.
He admired the students who had won the competition and wished them good luck in the final competition in China. Pakistan and China enjoyed cordial relations and the two countries remained committed to working together to cope with future challenges.
Huawei Pakistan CEO, Saif Chi, also spoke on the occasion and remarked, “We will continue to see the digital and physical world merge as emerging technologies become a greater part of our lives.”
He maintained, “In order to welcome the arrival of the intelligent world, Huawei has always focused on R&D.” The company was said to have marked its presence in Pakistan in 1998. “Since then it has been playing a vital role in making Pakistan go digital,” he concluded.