'Government making efforts to promote software export'

Government of Pakistan is making efforts to promote software export and the IT industry can contribute immensely by bridging the trade gap, said Pir Mazhar-ul-Haque, Provincial Minister for Education Sindh inaugurating a two-day International Conference on Computers and Emerging Technologies, organised by the Department of Computer Science, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur.
He said the demand for software in the world was growing at a fast pace and they could take advantage from it. He revelled that IT and the emerging technologies could work well for rural development and educational sector reform. The minister said that he would appreciate if the concrete R&D proposals to establish a research centre promoting R&D in IT enabled services for rural and educational development. The university would have to be actively engaged on continuous basis to update its curriculum and it must plan to add new academic programmes in emerging fields like Bio-informatics and Mobile Technologies in future.
Advancement in science and technology is no longer an elusive goal for development countries but a bridge which must be crossed to achieve a sustainable growth. He said that they have to put in their best efforts to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity. Unfortunately, in Sindh, technical education and skill development programmes have been seriously neglected and despite spending huge amount to the outcome remained unimpressive.
Professor Dr Nilofer Shaikh, Vice Chancellor SALU, Khairpur delivering her presidential speech said, research and learning is a lifelong process and some of the most important ideas were required a never ending process of research and education. Dr Manzoor Soomro, Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation, Professor Dr Zoran Bojowik, University of Belgrade, Serbia, Professor Dr Zubair A Shaikh from Fast National University, Karachi and others spoke on the occasion.