Pakistan have one of best ICT infrastructures in region: Dr Mukhtar

ISLAMABAD, Aug 16 (APP): Pakistan have one of the best
Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructures of the
region, said Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Mukhtar
Ahmad on Wednesday.
He stated this while attending the launching ceremony of
Skill Competition 2017 held here in collaboration with the Higher
Education Commission (HEC), and Huawei Technologies.
The ceremony was attended by the You Yi, Cultural
Counsellor, Embassy of China in Pakistan as a chief guest and Dr G.
Raza Bhatti, Acting Executive Director HEC, Chilin Chun, CEO,
Huawei, Pakistan, Space Lee, Vice President, Huawei, Middle East
Public Relations Department, Mr David, Director, Training and
Certification, Huawei, Middle East and a large number of Vice
Chancellors, ICT professionals and students.
Describing background of HEC-Huawei strategic partnership, Dr
Mukhtar Ahmed said the bilateral collaboration that started in 2006
helped Pakistan have its own ICT setup.
He said HEC has been working with different partners from
around the world in order to provide a good learning environment to
Pakistani students.
“Huawei is a tested HEC partner, as it has taken different ICT
initiatives jointly with HEC including establishment of Pakistan
Education and Research Network (PERN), ICT R&D Center and Cloud Data
Center”, he said, adding that under the Prime Minister’s Laptop
Scheme, Pakistani students will now have made-in-Pakistan laptops
owing to the cooperation of Huawei.
Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said that Huawei, as per Memorandum of
Understanding signed with HEC, will also provide training to
Pakistani youth on the advent of any new technology.
Underlining the importance of Huawei ICT Skill Competition
2017, the Chairman informed that as many as 2300 Pakistani students
from 30 universities participated in the Huawei ICT Skill
Competition 2016.
He said representatives of 30 Chinese business institutions
will attend the Business Schools Consortium to be held in the
August-end.
They will deliberate future collaboration for promotion
of business education, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, You Yi appreciated the HEC-Huawei
collaboration and remarked that China and Pakistan have a long
history of educational exchange which has a very vital role in the
improvement of bilateral relations.
As many as 145 Pakistani students have been awarded Chinese
scholarships this year, he informed.
He said that Government education delegations visit the two
countries from time to time to discuss areas of collaboration.
He revealed that Chinese institutions established in various
cities of Pakistan are not only promoting technologies, but are also
very helpful in teaching Chinese language teaching and conducting
capacity building courses for the country’s youth.
These youth will make great contributions to the China-
Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he hoped.
The Cultural Counsellor revealed that technological
advancement has brought the world into an information era lessening
physical distances among human beings.
Amid this development, he maintained, Huawei has played a
significant role in changing the world through promotion of ICT
skills among youth. He observed that Pakistan has a great potential
in ICT development and competitions like the Huawei ICT Skill
Competition 2017 will help tapping the talent of Pakistani students.
In his remarks, Space Lee stressed that Huawei stands side
by side with HEC in promotion of ICT in Pakistan. He said
technological readiness is very imperative for people-to-people
contacts, as technology is reshaping the world.
He said Huawei will welcome all the students intending to
compete in the Huawei ICT Skill Competition 2017. Mr David,
Director, Training and Certification, Huawei, Middle East, and Osama
Khalid, one of students who won Huawei ICT Skill Competition 2016,
also expressed their views on the occasion.
During the ceremony, representatives of 13 universities, which
are working closely with Huawei on Huawei Authorized Information
Network Academy (HAINA), were awarded shields.
These representatives included Engr Ahmad Farooq, Vice
Chancellor, Balochistan University of Information Technology,
Engineering and Management Sciences, Dr Jahangir Bashar, Rector,
Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology,
Swabi, Engr Amir Hafeez, Assistant Professor, FAST-NU, Dr. Sajid
Saleem, Assistant Professor, National University of Sciences and
Technology, Islamabad.
The other representatives including Dr Munam Ali Shah, Head
of Department, Computer Science, COMSATS Institute of Information
Technology, Islamabad, Dr Imran Mumtaz, Director, IT, University of
Agriculture, Faisalabad, Dr Zeeshan Ahmed, Assistant Professor,
University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila, Arshad Bosal,
Director, IT, University of Gujrat, and Athar Kaleem, System
Administrator, University of Haripur.