LAHORE: ‘Taleem Aur Hunar Sath Sath’ Orientation Drive is an initiative of the Punjab Information Technology Board on the directions of Government of the Punjab, which is successfully underway across the province to highlight the equal importance of education and skills among the students of universities and colleges, Punjab Information Technology (IT) Minister Dr. Arsalan Khalid said in a statement on Wednesday.
While presiding a special meeting held at Arfa Software Technology Park (ASTP), the minister said that Orientation Drive’s first two events were held in Lahore and Multan on Sept 19 and Sept 20 respectively. “Eight more seminars will be held in this regard in different districts of the Punjab till October 19,” he added. Distinguished speakers, freelancers and influencers will participate in these events.
Dr. Arslan Khalid stated that the awareness campaign was well received in the seminars held at Lahore’s Punjab University and Multan’s Bahauddin Zakariya University. He further said that the aim of this campaign was to provide the youth with direction and awareness about making efforts to foster both skills and education.
The minister went on to say that the Punjab govt is in consultation with all stakeholders to devise plans for the young of Punjab. “We are keen to introduce new courses in the curriculum such as Blockchain, Machine Learning, Robotics etc in collaboration with the private sector and public sector universities,” he stated.
“We are taking educational institutions on board to ensure that the students are well trained in modern, in-demand and financially rewarding digital skills. The idea is to foster an awareness that both degree and skills should go hand in hand,” he added.
The awareness campaign has been supported by Punjab Higher Education Department and Pakistan Software Houses Association.
