Latest news with #HEC
Business Recorder
18 hours ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Ministry aims to boost IT exports to $15bn by 2029: Shaza
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said her ministry was determined to achieve the target of elevating the country's IT exports to $15 billion by 2029. She underlined that a future-ready human resource is the key component for achievement of this target. Khawaja reiterated the government's commitment to facilitating the academia, industry and all relevant stakeholders in removing the hurdles blocking the employability of computing graduates. The minister was addressing a national conference titled, 'Zero-Day Employability of Computing Graduates' organised by Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan in collaboration with MoIT&T and Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) on Thursday. Chairman HEC Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, Secretary MoIT&T Zarraz Hasham Khan, vice chancellors of a large number of universities, faculty members, and IT industry representatives attended the conference. Khawaja emphasised the need for economic impact in the country through digital transformation by unlocking the country's IT potential. She highlighted that Pakistan is blessed with talented youth and there is a need to hone this asset. She noted it is the high time for introspection, identification of challenges, and exploitation of strengths to set a right direction. She said the government is cognisant of the challenges; however, it is pivotal to be on the path of addressing the challenges. She asserted that, 'conferences are literally determining the future of Pakistan.' She urged the universities to prepare the youth for the future technological advancements and produce graduates who make the IT sector viable. She underlined the significance of rewarding and penalizing the universities for the performance in order to materialise the vision of IT sector's growth. There is, she noted, a tsunami of change wherein everything has been automated. She made a collective call to action to come out of the existing structures and propose innovative interventions. Chairman HEC Dr Ahmed highlighted HEC's measures to bridge the gap of liabilities in the IT sector. He said that academia-industry linkages are a vital means to cope up with the industry's hampered growth, as it is high time to upgrade the systems. He informed the audience that HEC has developed a new Computing Education curriculum and has shared it with the universities for adoption. He said that the curriculum is based 80 percent on hands-on skills. He hoped that it will open up a window for employability of graduates. The chairman highlighted that Pakistani youth have been achieving huge success in the Huawei Imagine Cup competitions. He said the country's youth has a great potential in all the areas including technology. He added that the Pakistani university graduates and the HEC scholarship recipients are playing their appreciable role in taking up Pakistan in the technological sphere. Secretary MoIT&T Zarrar Hashim Khan shared a detailed presentation on the National IT Roadmap drafted in consultation and deliberations with stakeholders. He pointed out the key challenges in the IT industry triggering low exports such as systemic and structural issues, educational and skill development issues, and workplace and industry dynamics. 'If we do not address them structurally, we will lag behind,' he emphasised. He also presented recommendations to put in action for sectoral growth, including having a standardized testing mechanism, skill-based certification courses integrated with curricula, and work with industry by final year students. He stressed the need for academic and workforce readiness and strong collaboration between the IT industry and academics to address employability gap. He underlined that the industry's productivity and a remarkable increase in consistent exports are among the top objectives to be followed. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
World Bank-funded project under Pesco: HEC seeks relaxation in bidding criteria
ISLAMABAD: The Heavy Electrical Complex (HEC) has formally sought a relaxation in the bidding criteria for a World Bank-funded project under the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO). In this regard, HEC's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has approached the WB Country Director, outlining the reasons for seeking amendments to the bidding conditions. PESCO is set to procure 18 power transformers of 132/11.5 kV, 40 MVA capacity through a WB-financed tender. HEC has recommended including a specific clause in the bidding documents that would enable fair participation of the recently privatized national enterprise. World Bank team briefed about Pesco's new projects According to the HEC CEO, the company is a well-established and reputable entity—Pakistan's only power transformer manufacturer—with operational experience dating back to 1998. To date, it has supplied 340 transformers, including 40 MVA units, to WAPDA, NTDC, K-Electric, and all distribution companies (Discos). The CEO stated that these transformers have performed reliably in the field for over 25 years without a single reported failure, earning full satisfaction from all stakeholders. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Local France
5 days ago
- Politics
- Local France
France ‘stands with Harvard' and offers to welcome foreign students
'We stand with universities facing the threat of government control, restriction to their funding, constraints on their curricula or research projects,' Jean-Noël Barrot said during a commencement address at the high-profile HEC business school in Paris. 'We stand with Harvard faculty, with Harvard students, facing unjustified stress and anxiety right now,' he added in English. 'Should US courts uphold decisions to ban international students, France will offer a safe place to complete their degrees,' he said. Universities and research facilities in the United States have come under increasing political and financial pressure under Trump, including with threats of massive federal funding cuts. Harvard has been at the forefront of Trump's campaign against top American universities after it defied his calls to submit to oversight of its curriculum, staffing, student recruitment and 'viewpoint diversity'. A US court last week put a temporary stay on Trump's latest effort to stop foreign students from enrolling at Harvard, a day after a White House proclamation had sought to bar most new international students at Harvard from entering the country, and said existing foreign enrollees risked having their visas terminated. Advertisement The US government has already cut around $3.2 billion of federal grants and contracts benefiting Harvard and pledged to exclude the institution from future federal funding. France and the European Union are seeking to encourage disgruntled researchers to relocate from the United States to Europe. European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said last month that the EU would launch a new incentives package worth €500 million to make the 27-nation bloc 'a magnet for researchers'. French President Emmanuel Macron in April unveiled plans for a funding programme to help national universities and other research bodies cover the cost of bringing foreign scientists to the country. READ ALSO : How easy is it to move to France as a researcher or scientist?✎
LeMonde
6 days ago
- Business
- LeMonde
France says it supports Harvard, welcomes foreign students
France's foreign minister on Saturday, June 14 said his country supported students and staff at Harvard, after President Donald Trump tried to ban foreign students from the prestigious US university. "We stand with universities facing the threat of government control, restriction to their funding, constraints on their curricula or research projects," Jean-Noel Barrot said during a commencement address at the high-profile HEC business school in Paris. "We stand with Harvard faculty, with Harvard students, facing unjustified stress and anxiety right now," he added in English. "Should US courts uphold decisions to ban international students, France will offer (them) a safe place to complete their degrees," he said. Universities and research facilities in the United States have come under increasing political and financial pressure under Trump, including with threats of massive federal funding cuts. Harvard has been at the forefront of Trump's campaign against top American universities after it defied his calls to submit to oversight of its curriculum, staffing, student recruitment and "viewpoint diversity." A US court last week put a temporary stay on Trump's latest effort to stop foreign students from enrolling at Harvard. A White House proclamation a day earlier had sought to bar most new international students at Harvard from entering the country, and said existing foreign enrollees risked having their visas terminated. The US government has already cut around $3.2 billion of federal grants and contracts benefiting Harvard and pledged to exclude the institution from any future federal funding. France and the European Union are seeking to encourage disgruntled researchers to relocate from the United States to Europe. European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said last month that the EU would launch a new incentives package worth 500 million euros ($580 million) to make the 27-nation bloc "a magnet for researchers." French President Emmanuel Macron in April unveiled plans for a funding program to help national universities and other research bodies cover the cost of bringing foreign scientists to the country.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
France says supports Harvard, welcomes foreign students
France's foreign minister on Saturday said his country supported students and staff at Harvard, after President Donald Trump tried to ban foreign students from the prestigious US university. "We stand with universities facing the threat of government control, restriction to their funding, constraints on their curricula or research projects," Jean-Noel Barrot said during a commencement address at the high-profile HEC business school in Paris. "We stand with Harvard faculty, with Harvard students, facing unjustified stress and anxiety right now," he added in English. "Should US courts uphold decisions to ban international students, France will offer (them) a safe place to complete their degrees," he said. Universities and research facilities in the United States have come under increasing political and financial pressure under Trump, including with threats of massive federal funding cuts. Harvard has been at the forefront of Trump's campaign against top American universities after it defied his calls to submit to oversight of its curriculum, staffing, student recruitment and "viewpoint diversity". A US court last week put a temporary stay on Trump's latest effort to stop foreign students from enrolling at Harvard. A White House proclamation a day earlier had sought to bar most new international students at Harvard from entering the country, and said existing foreign enrollees risked having their visas terminated. The US government has already cut around $3.2 billion of federal grants and contracts benefiting Harvard and pledged to exclude the institution from any future federal funding. France and the European Union are seeking to encourage disgruntled researchers to relocate from the United States to Europe. European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said last month that the EU would launch a new incentives package worth 500 million euros ($580 million) to make the 27-nation bloc "a magnet for researchers". French President Emmanuel Macron in April unveiled plans for a funding programme to help national universities and other research bodies cover the cost of bringing foreign scientists to the country. ah/rmb
