MoE to set up 16 IT labs at degree colleges

Labs will offer 6-month courses in block chain, data science, AI & game development

ISLAMABAD:

The federal education ministry has decided to set up 16 state-of-the-art Information Technology (IT) laboratories in the federal degree colleges and provide them with 20 buses to address the transportation problems of female teachers and students.

Female students and teachers studying in public and private educational institutions will be able to travel for free in the urban and rural areas of the federal capital with the support of the capital district administration. Federal Secretary of Education Mohiuddin Wani is supervising the new initiatives.

According to the announcement made by the Ministry of Education, the IT labs will offer six-month courses in blockchain, data science, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and game development. A thousand students will be completing these courses in the first phase. These courses are designed by NAVTTC in collaboration with renowned universities like NUST, National Skills University, COMSATS and NUML. These courses will start in the second week of May. As many as 3,600 students have been registered for these courses.

The MoE has decided to establish new IT labs on the direction of the prime minister who wants maximum employment opportunities for the youth under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).

On the other hand, the buses reserved for females will be given pink colour. Secretary Education Mohiuddin Wani says that the initiative is being taken because of an increasing dropout rate of girls from schools due to inadequate transport facilities.

An internal audit discloses that 30% of the total 385 buses of the federal educational institutions are out of order owing to a lack of funds. In future, ordinary women will also be allowed to travel in these buses subject to the availability of space. These new buses will be ready to provide service by June 15.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2024.