Regulatory body for IT institutions soon | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Regulatory body for IT institutions soon

PESHAWAR,Jan.7:Provincial Minister for Science, Technology and Information Technology Hussain Ahmed Kanju has said that the MMA government has planned to set up a regulatory authority for regulating the business of public and private STIT-related institu-tions in the Province besides keeping check on their syllabus, standard and fee structure adding that establishment of a joint STIT board or separate boards one each for S&T and IT was also under deliberations.

This he stated during a PTV programme “Nan Saba” at Peshawar. The programme was produced by Jamil Raza and compared by Hidayatullah Khan Afridi while Salma.Masood an educationist and Malik Tajanunal Hayat, Director ICMS participated as experts in the programme.

The minister said that creation of center of excellence was also under active consideration of the provincial government for guidance of the STIT related institutions and modernization of the courses to catch up the new development and achieve the national objectives in the present technological world. He added that in the Ist phase, district citizen information centers were being established at district level throughout the province saying, later these centers would be converted into full-fledged STIT district offices that would accommodate maximum jobless IT professionals.

Kanju said that there was no shortage of funds in the STIT sector as the federal government as per its policy was providing 75 percent funds for the STIT projects and 25 percent by the provincial government. the projects undertaken during the current fiscal year, he said, included establishment of software technology park in Hayatabad, setting up of campuses of Virtual University in NWFP, computerization of civil secretariat, provision of e-government kit to five districts and computerization of domiciles and arms licenses.

Participants of the programme stressed for farming of future policies on need assessment basis, promoting technical education particularly industrial oriented education, arranging skilled based training to the teachers, starting awareness campaign for parents at rural areas to send their kids to the schools, opening maximum schools in urban areas to overcome the over crowding problems.

Source: Business Recorder
Date:1/7/2004