KARACHI, Aug 1: The Sindh Information Technology Board (SITB) is planning to introduce the Intermediate in Computer Science (ICSc) in all government colleges in the province, in collaboration with the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK).

The SITB sources told the PPI on Friday: “We are currently working on preparation of syllabi and courses for introducing ICSc, and we hope that it will open the doors, for students, to higher education, to become computer engineers and scientists.”

Currently, some of the colleges in other provinces, like Punjab, were offering ICSc, which helped the students learn computer skills, the sources said.

The ICSc curriculum would be introduced in Sindh colleges after its endorsement by various federal and provincial educational authorities and departments.

After being approved by the Sindh education department, the curriculum would be sent to the federal education ministry to get its advice and approval for implementing two-year ICSc course, from the next academic year, they said.

The curriculum would enable the ICSc certificate holders to become eligible for the Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS), being offered by various computer education institutions in the country, the sources said.

As the implementing of curriculum was a federal subject, the SITB, through Sindh government, would try to convince the federal education ministry for implementing the curriculum, the sources added.

In the meantime, the SITB was also working on development of courses for the Computer Studies-I (CS-I), to introduce it at secondary school level from next year, which would prepare the students aspiring to take the ICSc in colleges, they said.

Currently, the SITB was designing three new vocational computer courses, ranging from six months to one-year duration, to be offered to the college students in the province, the sources informed.

The SITB expected to finalize the syllabi, schemes of studies and teaching materials, by the end of the year, which might be offered from start of the next academic session, subject to the approval by the authorities concerned, they said.

The board had also decided to act as examiner to the proposed vocational courses, which would make the courses, SITB certified, the sources added. —PPI