The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has facilitated a total of 63 universities with blanket WiFi connectivity under its Smart University project so far. HEC spokesperson Aisha Ikram told Business Recorder that the HEC Smart University project is proceeding well ahead of its schedule and within its approved budget. It is one of the fastest executed programmes in the Asia Pacific region.
The project was approved in 2015, at a total cost of Rs 2.4 billion and there is no change in the contract cost since then. Work started on the project in 2016, and is scheduled to be completed in eight years, ie. 2024, she added. The allocation is to be spent in eight years, and not in the first two or three years of the project. However, the main deployment of the equipment (Phase-I of the project) will be completed in 2019. It is fully on schedule and all targets will be met.
The project aimed to equip university campuses with blanket WiFi coverage, in order to enable the deployment of other smart instruments as needed. The project has provided a suite of important services to thousands of students and faculty members across the country. This includes blanket wifi coverage, student authentication, guest WiFi portals for visitors, and eduroam (a secure, world-wide roaming access service available in thousands of locations across over 100 countries worldwide).
Due to the overwhelming positive response from universities, the scope of coverage was expanded to include hostels as well. This was done before the launch of Phase-I, and with the consent of all stakeholders including a high level steering committee comprised of vice chancellors, senior government officials, and HEC higher management.
HEC has strict rules regarding compliance with legal provisions. No payments can be made without proper pre-audit. Any delays in the execution result in the imposition of financial penalties on the providers as per contract. The contractors are required to obtain acceptance certificates from universities on completion of installation.