The Sindh government has announced the extension of the People’s Information Technology Program (PITP) in a large stride towards facilitating digitization of education and empowering the youth. The program is expected to provide thousands of young learners with the necessary IT skills that will allow them to access the new career opportunities in the rapidly expanding digital economy.
Free Opportunity: Matric and Intermediate Students
Within the broadened scheme, learners that have already successfully finished matriculation and intermediate will henceforth acquire free short courses in IT. The courses will make them acquire practical skills in different areas of information technology such as programming, web development as well as digital tools, which are becoming more and more demanded in Pakistan and elsewhere.
Partnership with leading Universities
The implementation of the program will be in cooperation with the Department of Information Science and Technology and the training will be provided through three of the top universities of Sindh namely; NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad and IBA Sukkur. Such institutions will make sure that the students are trained to the international standards.
Three Phases, 35, 000 students to be benefitted
The Sindh government is intending to train a total of 35,000 students and these are going to be in three phases. The number of participants will be approximately 7,000 per phase which will make training organized and effective. The courses would be two months long and totally free of charge so that all students regardless of their background would afford them.
To date, 13,000 students have graduated in the introductory stage of People IT Program. A number of them are already using their new skills in freelance, startups and employment in the private sector.
Future Goals
The second year of the program has already been passed and is being allocated a total of RS 1, 400 million in the four financial years 2025 and 2026. This investment will aid in the increase in facilities, development of the course content and accessibility of more students to the current computer labs and online learning systems.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, who has been heading the program, pointed out that the People’s IT Program is one of the long-term visions of the provincial government to equip the youth with the digital future. He has observed that more than 4,300 students who have graduated through the program have already gained employment and become entrepreneurs to serve the Pakistan economy.
Collaboration with Google in Digital Journalism
This program was signed along with Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Google to introduce a Digital Journalism Scholarship. This partnership is expected to make people digitally literate and enable young journalists with the newest media technologies. The deal was made in Karachi at a ceremony led by the Chief Minister.
Sindh Youth Empowerment
The Sindh government, through programs such as the People IT Program, is giving students real prospects to learn, develop and take part in the transformation of Pakistan into a digital country. Such initiatives have the added advantage of not only making the province competitive in the fast evolving global economy but also keeping the youth in the province employed.
The development of People IT Program is a great example, where education, technology and government policy converged to produce long term benefits to young people shaping a brighter digital future of Sindh.
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