Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), on Tuesday 18th January 2022, announced the results of students who sat exams in the December 2021 session. Four Pakistani students scored the highest marks globally outperforming exam sitters worldwide. Arham Ali, an ACCA student from Lahore, scored the highest marks in Maintaining Financial Records exam. Similarly, Usama Maharir Muhammad from Lahore topped the Managing Costs & Finance exam.

Komal Bawani, a young girl from Karachi achieved a perfect score in ACCA’s Management Function while Muhammad Umair Jan, an ACCA student from Peshawar, became the global topper in the Recording Financial Transactions exam. These global prizewinners were commended by Assad Hameed Khan, Head of ACCA Pakistan. He said, ‘It’s encouraging to see the country’s youth putting in the hard work to outperform their peers around the world.

 

Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training sign an MOU with Telenor Pakistan to pilot Taleemabad in Model Virtual Schools

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Taking another leap towards fulfilling the Digital Pakistan ambition, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Telenor Pakistan to pilot Taleemabad in six primary level public schools to be called Model Virtual Schools. The signing ceremony was held today at the Ministry of Federal Education and was attended by Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood, CEO Telenor Pakistan, Irfan Wahab Khan and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Telenor Pakistan, Kamal Ahmad.

Under this partnership Telenor Pakistan aims at extending high-quality standardized digital education to the underserved students and schools in Pakistan through its award winning EdTech platform, Taleemabad, which is the country’s first digital education platform based on the Single National Curriculum (SNC) and is endorsed by the Ministry of Federal Education. At the pilot stage Telenor Pakistan will be equipping six Model Virtual Schools with basic IT hardware and digital learning management system for teachers, students and administration while also providing them with the tools and skills necessary to cope with the new normal. This development is part of a broad-based partnership to empower learners and educators through Taleemabad’s digital platform and ensure uninterrupted, uniform and affordable education for all.

Commenting on the development, Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO Telenor Pakistan said, “With over 23 million out-of-school children across the country, we believe it is our responsibility to innovate and introduce sustainable solutions that enable masses through digitalisation and can stand the test of time. It is through interventions like Taleemabad and collaborations like this that we aim to address the socio-economic disparities affecting out-of-school children across the nation. We are humbled and pleased to have joined hands with the Ministry of Education and Professional Training through Taleemabad app to bring online the Single National Curriculum and advance together towards the vision of a Digital Pakistan.”

Furthering its commitment to reduce inequalities, Telenor Pakistan aims to take digital learning to one million out-of-school children. Telenor Pakistan aims to achieve this feat by 2023, making education more accessible through the power of technology, bridging the digital skills gap and contributing to the EdTech ecosystem, while supporting the government in its Digital Pakistan ambition.

 

Applications for Microsoft’s ‘GrowthX Accelerator’ second cohort now open for Pakistan’s B2B startups

• Initiatives by Microsoft for Startups and Abu Dhabi Investment Office progress tosecond phase
• GrowthX Accelerator program– aimed at bridging the gap between large corporates and B2B tech startups – opens applications for second cohort
• Highway to 100 Unicorns – designed to address issues faced by early-stage entrepreneurs across Pakistan, the Middle East and Turkey – now taking registrations for new virtual conference keynotes and workshops
• This year’s GrowthX Corporate Partners include DHL, PwC, Koc Holdings, with more to be announced

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Microsoft for Startups Middle East today announced it has opened a second round of applications for Microsoft for Startups’ highly successful GrowthX Accelerator Programme and is accepting registrations for the next series of virtual conferences in the well-received Highway to 100 Unicorns virtual conference.

The GrowthX Accelerator and Highway to 100 Unicorns are part of a broader strategic partnership between Microsoft and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) to accelerate opportunities for startups across the region, including Pakistan. The GrowthX Accelerator, announced in January 2021 and officially launched in May, brings together corporates with challenges and startups that can buildfield-ready solutions. It empowers B2B tech start-ups with the commercial and technical resources and support they need to accelerate their growth.

H.E. Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, said, “Startups are the lifeblood of Abu Dhabi’s innovation ecosystem, bringing ingenuity, fresh ideas and ambition to drive progress across all sectors. The Abu Dhabi government is committed to supporting entrepreneurs and businesses through scale up programmes such as GrowthX Accelerator and Highway to 100 Unicorns. The progression of these initiatives to their next phases signifies the success they have achieved in helping startups. We will continue on this journey to ensure innovators have access to all the tools and resources they need to make impactful change in Abu Dhabi.”

GROWTHX ACCELERATOR

Microsoft for Startups GrowthX Accelerator is designed to consolidate the progress the country has made by leveraging the benefits its government offers technology companies. Through intense technical and commercial acceleration, the programme engenders connections and brings innovators together to learn, grow, become investor-ready and better engage corporates in the region.

“Our second cohort of GrowthX follows a very successful first phase in 2021, where we saw massive interest from innovators across the region,” said Roberto Croci, Managing Director, Microsoft for Startups, MEA. “Microsoft customers, regardless of their industry or scale, are eager for solutions. Success in a rapidly globalising digital economy relies on making the right moves at the right time with the right technology. Microsoft for Startups exists to support the creators of innovative solutions and connect them with the technology and partners they need in order to grow. Our work with ADIO on the GrowthX Accelerator program lays the groundwork for that sea change in the regional entrepreneurship ecosystem.”

GrowthX includes virtual and physical workshops and training sessions, as well as a series of “demo days” and networking events where startups get the opportunity to showcase their visions to both venture capitalists and Microsoft’s regional enterprise customers. Microsoft will recruit 15 startups from across the region, including Pakistan, to solve a range of corporate challenges for its partners, over the course of the 12-week program. Corporate Partners in this year’s GrowthX cohort include DHL, PwC, Koc Holdings, with more to be announced.

HIGHWAY TO 100 UNICORNS

Microsoft for Startups also announced it will holdanother virtual conference series for its popular Highway to 100 Unicorns programme. Hosted in partnership with ADIO and LinkedIn, Highway to 100 Unicorns brings together experts from across the globe to address the issues faced by early-stage entrepreneurs across the Middle East, Turkey and Pakistan, and share with them the insights they need to build and scale. The latest virtual conference series will be hosted live on LinkedIn and Microsoft Teams between 24 Januaryand9 February. Over the three-week period, two sessions will be hosted daily, the first targeting idea-stage founders who are still developing their business models, and the second focusing on the issues faced by slightly more mature businesses as they consider scaling.

Confirmed speakers for this year’s Highway to 100 Unicorns conference include Mark Chahwan (co-founder at Sarwa), Brian Habibi (co-founder at Bayzat), Sarah el Saleh (Partner at Outliers), Yehia Badawy (co-founder at Rain), Joy Ajlouny (Fetchr), and Sarah Toukan (co-founder at Ziina). The conference will also include workshops and info sessions with ADGM and Hub71.

 

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) While expressing concern over the increasing number of Covid-19 cases following the emergence of Omicron variant in Pakistan, stakeholders have emphasized the need for more coordinated efforts by the government as well as private organizations to effectively cope with this new pandemic-related situation.

These remarks were expressed at an event organized by the Italian INGO Cesvi Pakistan to celebrate the achievements and reflect upon the lessons learned of the project ‘Improving National Capacity to Respond to COVID-19 Pandemic in Pakistan’ implemented across 24 districts of all four provinces of Pakistan. The project was funded by the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) for a duration of 18 months. The event was attended by Country Director CESVI Pakistan Farhan Ahmed Khan, representatives of the consortium INGOs, PDMAs, Health Departments from all four provinces, members of civil society and media persons.

Addressing at the occasion, Dr. Nausheen Hamid (Parliamentary Secretary Health) mentioned that the Government of Pakistan made significant efforts for COVID-19 containment and prevention. Soon after the emergence of the pandemic, the government responded efficiently through upgradation of testing labs and installation of mobile testing labs at border crossing areas. In addition, for real-time COVID-19 situation monitoring and response efforts, the efforts of the NCOC and Central Health Administration Department are commendable in this regard.

Dr. Stephen Langrell, Team Leader Rural Development and Economic Cooperation section of the European Union Pakistan, acknowledged the efforts of consortium partners for providing assistance to 2.5 million people across Pakistan in these testing times. He said that ECHO found it essential to support the Government of Pakistan in combating COVID-19 in the country.

Earlier, Farhan Ahmed Khan while giving an overview of the project said that the project successfully endeavored to strengthen the capacity of health care providers and equipped the High Dependency Units and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of 324 health facilities across all four provinces of Pakistan. He also mentioned that along with the components of capacity building training, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), WASH support, the project has provided essential COVID-19 treatment and diagnostic equipment, testing kits, non-COVID and non- medical equipment, and fixtures, PPEs and disinfection supplies.

Besides, a panel discussion was also held in which the Country Directors of all seven consortium partners shared their field experiences, best practises and key challenges experienced during the implementation of the project. The panelists included Farhan Ahmed Khan from Cesvi, Waqas Ahmed from MdM, Mubashir Ahmed from Concern Worldwide, Aisha Jamshaid from WHH, Dr. Arjumand Nizami from Helvetas, Sarfraz Laldin ACTED, Rafiuallah Khalil from IMC.

The panel discussion was followed by the stakeholder feedback session in which government representatives and health officials expressed their opinions and thanked the support of consortium partners for providing essential Health support. The stakeholders included Dr. Niaz Muhammad (DG Health KPK), Dr. Noor Muhammad (DG Health Baluchistan), Dr. Jamil Ahmed (DHO Sukkur), Dr. Ubaid Ur Rehman (Regional Director General Health, South KP), Dr. Ahmad Usman (Deputy Secretary Administration, Primary &Secondary Health Punjab) and Dr. Muhammad Ali (CEO District Health Authority, Rajanpur). At the end of the event, souvenirs were given to the participating guests.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) LUMS’ first in-person Convocation ceremonies since 2019 were held on two days. Pro Chancellor LUMS, Mr. Abdul Razak Dawood, officiated the convocation for the Class of 2020 on Saturday, January 15, 2022, and the ceremony for the Class of 2021 on Sunday, January 16, 2022, at the LUMS campus in Lahore. Founding Pro Chancellor, Syed Babar Ali and member, LUMS Board of Trustees, Dr. Pervez Hassan were also present on both commencement ceremonies.

Students felt overwhelmed and involved in rejoicing the celebration together as a community, noticing and marking its various aspects that they missed since the start of the pandemic two years ago. A warm address by the Registrar, Ms. Zara Fateh Qizilbash, welcomed students and their families on both days followed by exclusive talks by the Vice Chancellor, Dr. Arshad Ahmad, and the keynote speakers.

During his address, the Vice Chancellor, Dr. Arshad Ahmad, recalled notable moments from LUMS’ journey through 2020-21, calling them as the years of strength and resilience. While we are still emerging from the grip of this pandemic, the Vice Chancellor paid exemplary homage to all members of the LUMS community including the students, staff, faculty members, and parents who stayed connected through these challenging times and maintained uninterrupted learning through technology and innovation. He inspired the students to embrace the idea of quality and apply it in every aspect of their life. To propel growth, he advised the students to adopt the values of merit, integrity, and empathy. He also urged the students to serve society through research and purpose and recognise the power of change that has been vested within them through their academic endeavours at LUMS.

Dr. Arfa Sayeda Zehra, educationist, public intellectual, culture expert, gender specialist and human rights activist, addressed the Class of 2020 as a keynote speaker. She advised the students to look for possibilities in every aspect of life and while doing so embody the values of tolerance and compassion. According to Dr. Zehra, education is a force that triggers ingenuity and inspires new thinking. She also mentioned that empathy should drive the quest towards unveiling new prospects, since the true potential of one’s natural abilities can only be unlocked through good education and ethical values.

Mr. Shahid Abdulla, an acclaimed architect and Director, Arshad Shahid Abdulla (Pvt.) Ltd., addressed the Class of 2021 as a keynote speaker on the second day. He inspired the students to acquire practical skills and work towards realising their dreams through creativity and passion. He urged them to step out of their comfort zone and achieve their vision through bold and innovative thinking. He concluded his address on the importance of serving society and doing good to expect the same in return.

The above addresses during both convocations were followed by the award of degrees to all graduating students, robing of PhD graduates, and the presentation of the National Management Foundation awards and corporate medals to high performing students.

Recorded broadcasts of both ceremonies can be viewed at these links, Convocation: Class of 2020 and Convocation: Class of 2021.

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

School Education Department (SED), Punjab is the second largest department in terms of its administrative extensions, employing 400,000 teachers in more than 48,000 schools across the province. SED now releases highlights for its key achievements and initiatives from 2018 to date.

Punjab has one of the largest education systems in the world, and has a tremendous opportunity of moving forward towards a better future by transforming its education structures. Therefore building a strong and high-delivery education system was identified as a key goal by the government in 2018; in pursuit of amplifying human capital investment in the country.

Building on this mandate, the Education Ministry in Punjab started working diligently to identify gaps and to design impact-driven interventions to improve the system, which would later reflect on the overall education outcomes of the province. The government started working towards three goalposts; to improve access, equity and governance in the milieu of school education in Punjab.

HRMIS – With the injunction to eliminate extortion and corruption, the leadership galvanized the development of an integrated Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS). HRMIS brought process transformation, enabling transparent and efficient management of teachers’ transfers, promotions, leaves and pensions. The system also incorporated electronic submission of ACR; the annual progress report of the teachers and field formations. Extensive digitization enabled the department to eliminate corruption of billions of rupees every year. Till date, 3,550,381 leaves, 7,559 retirements have been electronically processed. 162341 applications have been received for teachers’ transfers and total 81577 transfer orders have been processed. Similarly, total 74352 license requests have been received and 44770 licenses have been issued to the private schools, affording a revenue of more than PkR 80 million to the national exchequer. Besides, 434,746 ACRs have been electronically submitted, stamping out the margins of bribery and nepotism, which were largely prevalent in a paper and peoples intensive traditional system.

SNC – Another key policy initiative of PTI’s leadership is the Single National Curriculum (SNC), which aims to bridge the stark educational quality gap based on the socio-economic background of the students. Unlike the perception that some have about SNC, it is open to feedback and changes have been continuously incorporated based on the recommendations and suggestions from the stakeholders and general public.

Mandatory Quran Classes – Another substantial initiative is the mandatory Quran classes in schools; from grade 1 till 8^th. During these classes, recitation of the Holy Quran will be ensured with the translation. Many have misrepresented Islam – the religion of peace, both among the rest of the world and our younger generation, so it is crucial to teach children the real spirit of the religion. In the long run this is going to help us counter extremist ideologies and to be able to raise a generation who comprehends the original spirit and substance of the religion they are associated with.

Insaf Afternoon School Programme – Furthermore, the Insaf Afternoon School Programme (IASP) has been launched to improve access to free quality education for every child across Punjab. Through this programme the infrastructure related costs connected to such a massive goal have been eliminated proving it to be an example of resource optimization, affording the government savings of around PKR 240 billion. This has been done by upgrading primary schools to elementary levels in afternoon shifts. As part of the first phase, 7008 primary schools have been upgraded to elementary level, whereas in the next phase elementary schools will be upgraded to secondary levels.

Transgender Education – Under PTI’s vision of inclusive education system, School Education Department (SED) Punjab has launched dedicated schools for transgender community, which is catering to classes from primary to high school. After receiving an overwhelming response in Multan, Mr. Murad Raas, Minister for School Education, Punjab decided to scale up the initiative starting by establishing schools in Punjab’s nine divisional headquarters. Two of these schools will be operational in Lahore by February 2022.

The initiative does not imply to bar children from transgender community to attend regular schools, instead the intervention is aimed at bridging the social gap and addressing the perception barriers, affecting the choice to have formal education, of transgender community.  

Under the current leadership, School Education Department (SED) Punjab is going to launch few more mega-scale initiatives, addressing to the issue of increasing access to quality education. The focus is going to remain on inculcating digital solutions at each level of service delivery in order to ensure sustainability and scalability.

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Lahore (NUT DESK)

DEMO and KPITB celebrate the training of women entrepreneurs through META’s SheMeansBusiness Program at KP Durshals

 A meeting with META (previously known as Facebook) and Honourable Minister for Science, Technology and IT Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Atif Khan was held to mark the closing of the Durshal Workshop pilot program and to discuss future collaborations between META and KP Government.

DEMO partnered with KPITB in 2021 to expand META’s SheMeansBusiness program in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by conducting a series of 3-day digital marketing and financial management workshops at Durshal incubation centers. The SheMeansBusiness program supports women-owned businesses globally by equipping them with the skills, tools, and resources they need to compete in the digital economy.

The training program was attended by over 250 women entrepreneurs from various districts of KP; Abbottabad, Bannu, Mardan, Peshawar, Swabi, and Swat. Through META’s training curriculum, the participants learnt strategies to grow their online engagement, make use of social media insights, create Instagram Stories and manage Facebook Ads. They also practised various financial tools designed to help them manage their accounting and bookkeeping more efficiently.

Mr. Atif Khan lauded META’s efforts in empowering the women of KP and highlighted the need of educating more women with particular focus on financial literacy. Expressing gratitude to the KP government for their support in the successful execution of the program, Sehar Tariq, Head of Policy-Pakistan, Meta said, “Women are an indispensable force of Pakistan. Their energy and passion contribute immensely to the socio-economic growth in the country. Through various initiatives, we aim to provide them with the opportunity, platform, and skills to become a catalyst for that growth by driving a sustainable and wholesome transformation of the Pakistani society.”

Speaking on the occasion Madiha Hamid, Head of Business at DEMO commented on the need of supporting infrastructure for women. She said, “There is a lack of accessibility to technological infrastructure that hinders the learning of participants in KP. For effective learning, we must work on making technology accessible to all.”

Through the expansion of the SheMeansBusiness Durshal program, META and KPITB aim to empower more entrepreneurs of KP by enabling their access to world-class learning material and the opportunity to learn from Facebook certified trainers.

 

Telenor Pakistan empowers over 200,000 youth and 4,000 teachers through its Safe Internet Program in 2021

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) With its longstanding commitment to empower societies, Telenor Pakistan has trained over 200,000 students and 4,000 teachers on the safe use of the internet through its Safe Internet Program in 2021. As a responsible service provider, Telenor Pakistan believes in not only connecting people but also equipping them with the tools needed to excel in the online space by organizing in-person and digital training sessions in public and private educational institutions across the country.

Through its Safe Internet Program, Telenor Pakistan has taken leaps in its journey to make the internet a safer and inclusive space for all. More than 200,000 students, and 4,000 teachers from a total of 441 public and private schoolsfrom across Pakistan have been trained under the program. The Safe Internet Program was also expanded to include marginalized segments of societythrough its partnership with Deaf Reach since individuals with hearing impairment are heavily dependent on technology for their daily communication. Forwarding the Safe Internet initiative, Telenor Pakistan has also enabled policy and curriculum reforms by engaging with relevant public, private and civil society organizations for developing a progressive digital safety curriculum.

Commenting on the achievement, Kamal Ahmed, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer,Telenor Pakistan said, “We feel that the nature of internet usage has rapidly evolved over the past decade and so has the technology that enables us to use it. With these fast-paced advancements, we have taken it upon ourselves to educate the nation’s young and creative minds on the importance of safe and responsible use of the internet.These students receive training in online safety in order to make the internet a safer place. We are particularly proud of our collaboration with Deaf Reach to introduce sign language training and enable the inclusion of a wider range of the society. With the tremendous success of the Safe Internet Program this year, we are confident that next year will be even more rewarding.”

Created in collaboration with experienced local and international partners, Telenor Pakistan’s Safe Internet Program ensures that child online safety remains a top priority of relevant stakeholders while sensitising and enhancing the capacity of teachers, parents and influencers around the country to address this concern. The interactive, gamified, extensive sessions were designed by Telenor Pakistan and train students of all ages to identify and prevent cyber-bullying, trolling, hate speech, catfishing, misinformation, and privacy, to name a few.

 

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Easypaisa, Pakistan’s leading digital payments platform, continues to strive for a digital Pakistan by enabling the development of the country’s digital landscape. The latest of such efforts was AppCon ’21, Easypaisa’s flagship intervarsity app design competition involving some of the most prominent universities in Pakistan that provides a platform to facilitate the growth of app development talent, while also showcasing the potential prowess that the country possesses in this domain. The competition’s finale was held recently with 5 teams vying for collective prize money of PKR 375,000, split between the top 3.

AppCon ’21 brought together over 40 teams who were tasked with designing and creating an app for Social Fund Raising or Bill Split Payments. FAST University was able to secure all top 3 prizes at the competition, where All-rounder Proteges won the first prize of PKR 175,000, while Tricodery and Skyla bagged the second and third prizes worth PKR 125,000 and PKR 75,000 respectively. In addition to the cash prize, the winners will also have a chance to work with Easypaisa to polish their skills even more.

Expressing his views at the occasion, Khurram Gul Agha, CIO, Easypaisa/Telenor Microfinance Bank, stated; “Pakistan is a country of many hidden talents particularly those that can aid in building sustainable infrastructures not just within the country but also around the globe. At Easypaisa, besides providing customers with best-in-class digital financial services, we are striving to collaborate with all players to build a cashless society. Through initiatives like AppCon, we are partnering with youth and making sure that their ideas and abilities also contribute towards this greater mission of a financially inclusive Pakistan”.

Competitions such as Easypaisa’sAppCon serve as launching platforms for creative tech talent and provide them with resources to take their dreams forward.