ETCs to be established at 350 schools soon

Project aims at introducing schoolchildren to emerging technologies

ISLAMABAD:

The federal education and professional training ministry would launch a project aimed at equipping schoolchildren with the cutting-edge skills in emerging technologies, the ministry said on Sunday.

Under the project, Emerging Technology Centres (ETCs) would be established in 350 schools across Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), it added. The project would be part of the government’s strategic planning to strengthen its initiative to make Pakistan a global information technology (IT) destination.

The ETCs also aimed at developing skills and capacity in the IT sector, preparing students for a digital future, enhancing Pakistan’s export and capability in the IT sector, and making Pakistan a global IT destination.

The ETCs would serve as catalyst for introducing children to emerging technologies such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and data analytics, and enable them to meet the increasingly digital challenges in their future endeavours.

The ETCs would be divided into two facilities – Class A and Class B. Class A facilities would provide state-of-the-art spaces for co-working during off hours to address the challenges faced by freelancers and professionals locally.

Class B facilities would provide science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programme, entrepreneurship, and computer science education to 40,000 students in 320 middle, and high schools.