TAHIR AMIN

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training, Shafqat Mahmood Thursday announced to change the current education system in the country by introducing uniform national curriculum and certification to address the problem of multiple education streams, putting some at disadvantage.

Mahmood said this while addressing at the opening ceremony of 3rd Huawei ICT competition organised by Huawei in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

“Unfortunately 25 million children in the country are out of schools. The government is planning to introduce a uniform syllabus and certificate in the whole country,” he said.

Refereeing to the quality of education, the minister said that the government would leave no stone unturned to ensure quality of education. The minister also announced of setting up skill universities, adding that focus would be given on skill development.

He said that Pakistan is blessed with a huge amount of talent and it is the government’s job to turn this talent into opportunities for the country’s development.

Mahmood said the efforts of Huawei Technologies (Pvt) Limited with the collaboration of HEC are unmatchable. It is meritorious that both the organisations realised the need for holding such competitions to make the youth aware of ICT. This will train students professionally to become the IT support of the country. He assured the support of the Education Ministry is all such events in order to transform the education system of Pakistan. Pakistan’s relations with China have improved immensely after the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said.

Chairman HEC Dr Tariq Banuri said that such competitions are part of educational agenda, adding that education is all about stimulating curiosity for solutions to impending problems.

Banuri appreciated the Huawei for a long-term collaboration. He was of the view that the ICT programme should be replicated by other organisations in order to encourage more and more students to involve in informative competitions.

Ambassador of Peoples Republic of China to Pakistan Yao Jing recognised the unbeatable talent of the youth of Pakistan. He appreciated the Huawei and HEC saying, “The ICT competition is a great initiative to train students in this ever-growing information technology world.” He highlighted the role of the government in improving education and creating some famous names in the fields of information technology, health, social sector etc..

CEO Huawei Pakistan Saif Chi highlighted the essential need to have the ICT competitions. He said that the Huawei team will hold seminars and road shows in the universities to inculcate awareness among the students about the competition. Pakistan is home to unlimited potentials with its core being the youth, he added.

The HEC and Huawei kicked off 3rd ICT Competition in Pakistan here on Thursday and invited colleges and universities for the promotion of the ICT industry, technology certification, and development of local ICT industry talent and ecosystem.

Huawei has also collaborated with the HEC to launch the Huawei Authorised Information and Network Academy (HAINA) programme. This programme provides opportunities to promote studies of advanced technologies through R&D and adopt Huawei’s globally renowned university-enterprise cooperation model. With HEC’s support, Huawei will be able to tap youth’s ICT talent which will contribute in the development of Pakistan’s ICT industry.

The ICT competition will help enhance the quality of future ICT professionals in Pakistan, along with increasing national ICT competitiveness, and supporting local students across Pakistan. During the 2nd ICT competition in 2017, Pakistani students did exceptionally well. More than 7,000 students from over 30 universities were registered for the ICT skill competition.

Over 3,000 appeared in the preliminary round, 150 students entered the regional final, out of which 50 were selected for the national final. The top six winners joined in the Middle East international final competition in China. Final team scored second position and qualified for the second ME Global Final out of 13 participating teams. Six final winners joined on behalf of the Middle East region in the Global Final Competition in China which took place in May 2018. Finalists scored 2nd and 3rd positions out of 23 participating teams. Three students from Pakistan also won an admission award in the SUSTC University, Shenzhen, China, for a six-month scholarship programme.

In 2018, the 3rd ICT competition will aim to motivate more students into registering for the competition and polish their ICT talent. Huawei will focus on holding awareness seminars, workshops and preliminary rounds of this year’s competition at Pakistan’s 14 running HAINAs starting from this month. The Huawei is also going to visit 50 universities for road shows.

Initially more than 10,000 students from reputable universities are expected to register for the online test. About 5,000 students will take the preliminary test, out of which 500 students will appear for the e-learning test. The top 100 students will take the lab test. The most competitive six students will be selected for the international round which will be held in Huawei headquarters in Shenzhen, China.

Not only will the winners of the competition receive certificates, trophies, and prizes, they will also have once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to China and gain access to a top global ICT company. The Huawei will grant the winners an exclusive fully paid trip to the company’s international headquarters in Shenzhen and the chance to meet with the brand’s leadership. They will gain unrivalled exposure to the Huawei’s expertise in telecommunications, enterprise, and consumer business, not to mention a priceless cultural experience and knowledge exchange.

The competition material is based on advanced IP and IT material, and tests contestant on their knowledge of cloud computing, switching, routing, and network security. It is a unique opportunity for students to test their abilities in ICT’s most cutting edge fields.