KARACHI: MNCs bound to help create jobs for locals
KARACHI, Sept 21: The federal government has made it mandatory for all public sector institutions awarding contracts to multinational computer companies to ensure that the latter must have provision to sublet contracts to national software houses leading to transfer of latest Information technology and creating maximum job opportunities for local professionals.
This was said by Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecom, Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, while addressing the annual convocation of the Karachi Institute of Information Technology (KIIT).
The minister said that next year reputable companies like MicroSoft and others would be opening software centres across Pakistan.
“The giant companies entering into Pakistan would be made efficient sources to strengthen the country’s Research and Development (R&D) sector. offering maximum opportunities to local IT graduates,” he said.
He further said IT was the largest industry and there were around 400,000 jobs opening in the field in the US market alone.
He conceded that academic institutions in the country were passing through a difficult time and a dearth of skilled teachers and lack of facilities to meet the demands of higher education was largely felt. He added however that the public sector over the years had contributed much to cope with this state of affairs.
Mr Leghari said that IT studies in government, manufacturing, trading and commerce, health, education and other areas of human endeavour at present and in future would significantly contribute to the progress and prosperity of Pakistan and the world.
He urged that more and more students must be encouraged to go for IT field and the nation must not make the mistake it made in the 1960s and onwards by ignoring technical education in general and IT in particular.
“We would be failing in our duty as teachers, educators and public servants if we did not inform our students and their parents of the high potential of the field and the pitfalls of ignoring it,” he went on.
The minister appreciated the initiatives taken by the private sector in joining the public sector to promote the cause of quality IT education.
He said institutes such as FAST, Ghulam Ishaq Khan (GIK) Institute, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and Karachi Institute of Informational Technology (KIIT) were offering state -of- the- art curriculum with provision for excellent facilities, highly qualified faculty and an environment conducive to higher education.
On the occasion, Dr David M. Hall, Dean of the School of Computing and Engineering, University of Huddersfield, with which KIIT is affiliated, handed degrees to 43 graduates on completion of the B.Sc (Hons) in Computing in Software Development and to 13 postgraduates under the Master of Science - Software Development programme.
Gold medals were given to Shezad Faisal who obtained first position in the M.Sc programme and Ghulam Mohammad Memon who clinched first position in the B.Sc (Hons) programme. Shields were given to Abdul Moiz Ponkar (B.Sc Hons) and Hussain (M.Sc) for securing second positions.
Chairman KIIT Mazhar Ali Syed, in his welcome address, mentioned the efforts made by the institution to carve a niche for itself and its students in the field of IT.
He sought due consideration from the government to remove impediments observed in the development of the IT sector.
Sindh Minister for IT Yaqoob Ilyas, former speaker National Assembly Illahi Baksh Soomro, Registrar KIIT Dr Kazi A. Kadir, Director KIIT Dr Zahir Ali Syed and many others were present on the occasion.—APP
