Government committed to promote I tech: Atta | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Government committed to promote I tech: Atta

ISLAMABAD- The masses would get computer education at nominal cost and the fruits of information technology development and consequent computer culture would research every Pakistani.

Dr. Attaur Rehman, Minister for Science and Technology promised this and much more at the inaugural ceremony of an exhibition organised by the Computer Society of Pakistan at a local hotel. “The is government is committed to impart mass level Information Technology education besides creating large numbers of capable professionals in this growing sector,” he said in his address to the computer professionals.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to encourage and facilities local as well as foreign investments in the information technology expansion eventually to create IT culture in the country.

He portrayed IT programmes of the military government in a way that, according to him, would bring about an information revolution within no time. He believes that upgrading computer institutes to Information Technology Universities and establishment of new centres would not only generate highly qualified professionals but would also solve the unemployment problems of the country.

In this connection he said institutes he said institutes like the Petroman, FAST and COMSAT would be shortly upgraded to the status of big universities on information technologies. The grant of university status to the institutes would take at least a couple of months, he added.

The Minister was generously promising financial support from the government to anyone from the private sector who could come up with feasible proposals for equipment and professionals to impart education and training at the grass root level.

He reiterated, in minimum possible time the entire programme of his Ministry including the launch of two digital television channels, introducing to E-government and E-commerce like project under way in the newly setup Information Technology Commissions.

He said that a National Information Technology Accreditation Agency would be setup under the IT ordinance for granting accreditation to the educational institution meeting prescribed quality standards.

President of the Computer Society Muhammad Afzal requested to the government through the Science Minister that foreign exchange at official rates would be available to the Pak investors exporting technologies or setting up their offices abroad for technological inflow. Currently, any of their Society’s member who wishes to open an office abroad has to arrange required foreign currency from the black market, he said. Therefore, in line with the government’s policy of information technology promotion, the Pakistani companies expanding across borders should be facilitated through provision of foreign currency on official rates, he added.

Source: The Nation
Date:5/8/2001