ISLAMABAD: In a game-changing move, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday ordered the immediate formulation of a plan to make information technology a mandatory subject for students from grade 6 onwards across the entire country.
While chairing a review meeting on the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, he said that the inclusion of IT in school curricula is essential to preparing our future generations for the demands of the digital economy. He called for a united effort with provincial governments to ensure that IT education and training are of high quality and standardised at all levels, from schools to universities.
He stressed that the promotion of the IT sector and growth in IT-related exports were key government priorities. He also directed the ministry to launch IT training programmes in underdeveloped regions, with a particular focus on Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Balochistan.
He particularly stressed that the standard of these programmes must be high enough to enable trainees to secure competitive employment both within Pakistan and abroad.
The prime minister was also given a detailed briefing by the IT Ministry led by Shaza Fatima Khawaja about the ongoing initiatives and upcoming projects aimed at enhancing digital education and vocational training across Pakistan.
The ministry said that under the “School Broadband Connectivity” project, internet infrastructure is being upgraded in schools across the capital.
The meeting was informed that during the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the ministry has already provided high-end IT training to 49,800 individuals, while over 600,000 people received general training.
In collaboration with Huawei – a Chinese tech company – vocational training centres are being set up at International Islamic University Islamabad, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) and COMSATS University’s Lahore campus. Huawei’s training programmes in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data, and cybersecurity have also been integrated into the curricula of several engineering institutions, including Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIK), University of Engineering and Technology in Taxila, and Mehran University in Jamshoro.
The ministry, in partnership with Huawei, will train more than 146,000 students and upgrade 1,300 laboratories nationwide, with a focus on Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers Ahad Khan Cheema and Shaza Fatima Khawaja, PM Youth Program Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, senior officials, and Huawei chief executive officer (CEO) Ethan Sun.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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