THE recent decision by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to include ‘Introduction to Computer Technology’ as a mandatory course at the graduation level is commendable in the sense that digital literacy is essential. There is not a shred of doubt that without learning computer technology, the job market for young graduates is not promising at all.

Having said that, it has now come to everyone’s knowledge that all students have to pay an additional fee of about Rs40,000, depending on the university, before they get their degrees. The HEC decision is actually an opportunity for universities to mint some more money at the cost of students and their parents.

I am a student of Software Engineering at the Capital University of Science and Technology (CUST) in Islamabad, and my batch is already learning the advanced level of programming and data structures. All the students enrolled in Computer Sciences, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Sciences and Cyber Security programmes do not need this basic course in computer technology, because it would be a waste of their time and money.

These students can rather learn own their own cutting-edge computer technology in their respective fields during summer vacations. Moreover, this course is an additional financial burden on middle-class students. Students enrolled in computer-related subjects at the undergraduate level should be exempted from this course.

Zain Mustafa
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2024