Caretaker IT and Telecommunication Minister Dr Umar Saif Friday disclosed that his ministry, with the coordination of all other stakeholders of telecom companies, from January 15, 2024, will launch a ‘Contract smartphone policy’ in which people travelling to other countries will get the latest model phones on easy instalments, which will benefit the economy.
Talking to a private news channel, the IT minister said that our aim is to incentive responsible financial behaviour and ensure that smartphone accessibility continues to expand, adding we need a robust mechanism to protect investors from defaults, suggesting measures such as blocking mobile phones and, potentially, national identity cards of defaulters.
The minister said that under this policy, telecom companies would have the opportunity to offer smartphones directly to customers through instalment plans, thereby expanding the benefits of mobile broadband, especially among low-income segments in Pakistan. In response to another question, he also announced that his ministry, from January 7 to 10, has been introducing standardized quality measurement tests across universities in Pakistan to ensure job opportunities for fresh graduates.
The ministry has made significant decisions to revamp university IT education in collaboration with HEC, the National Computing Accreditation Council, the Examination Testing Council, the Pakistan Software Export Board, and the Pakistan Software Houses Association. He further explained the program that countrywide students, around 20 to 25,000 who will pass the test, will be offered job opportunities through the Industry Placement Program.
He said that we will allocate funds to support special industry courses in universities designed to prepare students for current industry trends and needs, and we aim to increase our trained workforce in the industrial sector.
He also highlighted the importance of aligning educational institutions with industry requirements and facilitating industry-specific training workforce. The minister also asked the universities to take rapid action to start new quality courses in entrepreneurship and exports for students, which would help boost the country’s economy.
To another query, he replied that we have planned to make exponential growth in the IT sector as we must bring a productivity revolution in our economy by using Information and Communications Technology.
