LAHORE, March 27: The Punjab government decided on Wednesday to recruit computer laboratory and specialist teachers in 2,500 public schools by June this year.

It also decided to grant full autonomy to the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) to enable it to conduct technical research and fulfil future information technology related needs of the province.

The decisions were taken by Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool during a briefing on the PITB here at the Civil Secretariat.

The governor approved computerization of the accounts of all provincial departments, asking the officials concerned to immediately prepare PC-1 of the project aimed at facilitating all serving and retired employees of the government.

He directed that details of degrees issued by all universities in the province should be computerized so that the menace of bogus degrees could be tackled.

Approving autonomy for the PITB on the pattern of TEVTA, the governor said the Punjab information technology department would be responsible for the implementation of information technology related projects of all provincial departments.

He ordered that the six information technology projects, funded by the federal government, should immediately be finalized and sent to Islamabad. These included computerization of revenue record, registration deeds, domicile certificates and arms licences, Punjab intra-net plan and declaration of Sialkot as the first model information technology district.

The governor said the establishment of Al-Khwarzmi Institute at the UET had proved helpful in providing latest training facilities in information technology to senior teachers.

He said the provincial government would promote software technology. He claimed that the Punjab was leading other provinces in the field of information technology.

The governor said the number of youngsters getting training in information technology was increasing in the province. At present, computer education was being given to the youth in 413 public colleges in the province.

He said the government was determined to promote computer technology in all spheres of life in the province. And for that purpose, all resources would be used to immediately remove all problems being faced by the PITB.

The briefing was attended by Finance Minister Tariq Hameed, University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Vice-Chancellor, P&D chairman, finance and information technology departments secretaries and information technology experts in the private sector.