ISLAMABAD: Chairman of Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Mukhtar Ahmed has said the commission is making all-out efforts to introduce technological reforms in the education sector to equip the youth with the latest developments in the world.
While speaking to “Imagine Cup 2013” winners here on Tuesday, he said that the cup is one of the projects that both HEC and Microsoft are proud to have worked on. He said that such activities bring students together, motivating them to contribute to the greater good of their country in an innovative way.
The event was attended by several vice chancellors, and Pakistan’s educational leaders as well as the Director General Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO) Dr Salim Almalik, and Microsoft Country Manager Jibran Jamshad.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Salim Almalik said: “Such partnerships with companies like Microsoft empower the students to use their creativity in addressing real societal problems using modern technology.” Microsoft announced winners in all four categories of Imagine Cup competition i.e., earth, lifestyle, health, and education.
Addressing the guests and team, Jibran Jamshad, Country Education Lead, Microsoft Pakistan said: “Imagine Cup is one of the successful and empowering examples of how Microsoft is enabling students to build 21st century skill sets through access to latest technology, training and mentorship. As a result, students are offered new opportunities for the future.”
He added, the Imagine Cup provides tech students, software developers and entrepreneurs new possibilities to innovate and solve some of the world’s biggest social environmental and health challenges. We have selected excellent local projects and now the champion team will compete in the world finals competition for a prize of $ 100,000, the Azure grant and a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO.
Winners at the event included team “Smart Fruity Bytes” in Earth the category from Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture, Multan (MNSUAM), team “Journovolt” in Lifestyle category from Usman Institute of Technology Karachi, team “Human Life Saviour’s” in Lifestyle category from FAST NUCES Lahore Campus and team “AR Learn” in Education category from University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Peshawar.
Additionally, nine more university teams from North, Center, South, and Balochistan regions were declared Imagine cup regional winners and runners-ups. The four winning teams also received cash prizes and will now be representing Pakistan on the international level competing with the world top finalist teams.
The top teams showcased their projects at the event and vice chancellors of the winning institutions and other universities discussed their experience of participating in the competition. Unanimously all participants agreed that Imagine Cup promoted a strong work ethic among students, allowed them to innovate and gain new skills and be awarded great prizes.
Worth noting that Microsoft has already entered into an education transformation agreement with HEC covering key higher educational institutions in Pakistan. Under the agreement, Microsoft offers free certifications for 100,000 eligible students and organizes several capacity-building programs and holds similar activities for education stakeholders throughout Pakistan. The key objective remains to empower the education sector through technology and with the latest Microsoft products and services.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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