PM expresses satisfaction over record May remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed satisfaction over a record USD 4.3 billion in remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis in May 2026.

In a statement, the prime minister noted that remittances in May 2026 reflected a monthly increase of 20.2 percent and a yearly growth of 15.4 percent.

He described the surge in remittances as highly encouraging and emphasised that the trust and positive contribution of overseas Pakistanis to the national economy represent a valuable national asset.

In a separate meeting on higher education in the field of Information Technology (IT) at national universities, the prime minister highlighted the need for IT training programmes to be aligned with the requirements of the international market.

He expressed concern that, in most universities, the education provided in the IT sector does not meet contemporary standards.

He directed a third-party audit of IT departments across universities to evaluate the quality of education and training being imparted.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also instructed that a roadmap be prepared to equip young people with high-quality IT training tailored to modern demands and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, data science, and robotics.

The meeting was briefed on the results of a National Skills Competency Test recently conducted by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to assess the capabilities of IT graduates.

According to the briefing, 33,038 students from 190 higher education institutions participated. Only 0.4 percent scored above 80 percent, 3.6 percent between 68-79 percent, 13.2 percent between 58-67 percent, and 21.3 percent between 50-57 percent, while 61 percent scored below 50 percent.

The test, held at centres across various cities under strict monitoring, aimed to evaluate whether university education in IT matches the skills required in the job market.

The prime minister expressed dissatisfaction over the failure to meet the desired standards and stressed that reforms in higher education in the IT sector have already been initiated in light of the test results.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026