ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the authorities to develop a plan to make Information Technology (IT) education mandatory from Grade 6 onward across Pakistan.
He gave these instructions while chairing a high-level meeting focused on the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication.
The prime minister stressed that boosting the IT sector and increasing IT-related exports are among the government’s top goals. He said adding IT education to the school curriculum is essential to prepare students for the future digital economy.
PM Shehbaz also emphasised the need for coordination with provincial governments to ensure consistent and quality IT education at school, college, and university levels.
He instructed the Ministry to launch IT training programs in less developed areas, especially Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Balochistan, to bridge the digital gap and make IT education more familiar.
Officials from the Ministry of IT briefed the prime minister on current initiatives and future projects. Under the “School Broadband Connectivity Project,” internet services in schools across Islamabad are being improved.
For the fiscal year 2024–25, the Ministry has already trained 49,800 individuals in advanced IT skills, IT education and provided general IT training to over 600,000 people.
In collaboration with Huawei, several skills and vocational training centres are being established at the International Islamic University Islamabad, NUST, and COMSATS University in Lahore.
Huawei’s advanced programs in AI, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, and Big Data have also been added to the curriculum of leading engineering universities like Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (Topi), UET Taxila, and Mehran University (Jamshoro).
The Ministry of Federal Education, along with Huawei, will train 146,367 students and upgrade 1,300 computer labs nationwide. This project will especially help students in remote areas like Gilgit-Baltistan, AJK, and Islamabad.
Later, PM Shehbaz also met with a delegation from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), led by Chief Executive Helen Brand.
The prime minister highlighted the importance of professional training and said the government is focused on aligning workforce skills with global standards.
The ACCA team shared that 13,000 Pakistani members are working worldwide, and about 40,000 students in Pakistan are currently studying to become ACCA members.
