Category: Education

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  “China is exemplary in the way it rapidly progresses in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, and Huawei’s investment in developing ICT talent is enabling Pakistan to upgrade its information technology industry”. These thoughts were expressed by H.E. Naghmana Hashmi, Ambassador for Pakistan in China, during a speech at the award ceremony for Huawei’s Middle East ICT Competition 2019 at company headquarters in Shenzhen, China. Two teams from Pakistan participated in the final, earning second and third place.

At the award ceremony, H.E. Hashmi stated: “In the futuristic era of digitalization, the importance of ICT cannot be underestimated. With the advancement and innovation in modern technology, ICT has come to the fore as the primary vehicle of sustainable and robust development around the globe. Huawei’s initiatives to launch smart schools in Pakistan, in addition to the Huawei ME ICT Competition, enables us to build young talent within the sector to prepare them, and the country, for the digitally-driven world of tomorrow.”

The ICT sector is having an increased impact on societies and businesses alike. Countries across the region recognize this, and have implemented plans – such as Pakistan Vision 2025 – to take advantage of new technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud, which support the realization of digital transformation, national plans and visions. In order to do this, however, there is a need to address the talent gap that currently exists within the ICT sector.

Huawei is keen to support the development of the ICT ecosystem in Pakistan. One of the ways it does so is the Huawei ME ICT Competition, in partnership with the Higher Education Commission Pakistan, which nurtures local ICT talent, working with government authorities, colleges and universities in the Middle East to identify, support, and grow the future leaders of ICT. The competition promotes innovation and creativity while increasing national ICT competitiveness and encouraging local communities to contribute towards achieving digital transformation and economic growth. Participating students have the opportunity to enhance their ICT knowledge, practical and application skills as well as raising their innovation awareness, thereby enhancing their chances of employability within the sector – especially with national winners receiving an immersive experience at the company headquarters in Shenzhen, China, in addition to employment opportunities and other prizes. Through the competition, Huawei facilitates connections between international talent, providing equal opportunities for quality education with the aim of enabling more people to benefit from the digital economy.

Over the course of 2019, the competition attracted more than 21,000 student registrations from 437 colleges and universities in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. This year’s final had a total of 13 teams and 20 ministries participate from countries across the Middle East.

Institute Of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan Prepares To Kick Off the NFO 2019

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP), in collaboration with Unilever Pakistan, is organizing National Finance Olympiad (NFO) for the fifth consecutive year. It is the flagship event of the Institute and is one of the biggest Finance Competitions in the country. The competition attracts finance professionals participating as teams, from industry, firms and educational institutes from across Pakistan and UAE.

The competition is divided into three rounds spread over two weeks beginning with the Qualifying Round where teams attempt a 2-hour competitive online test, revisiting their concepts and technical knowledge. The top successful teams then progress to the Assessment and Simulation Round based on case study and other competitive activities competing to secure position in the top 6 teams advancing to the Grand Finale.

The Finale features top 6 teams as they go through a Debate Round evaluated by a senior jury panel and a Buzzer Round testing the teams agility and knowledge. The team with the best performance in these Rounds is given the title of National Finance Champions for the year. The winning team is recognized both within Pakistan and internationally.

This year 52 teams are set to compete in the Qualifying Round to be held on December 12, 2019. The Assessment and Simulation Round is scheduled for December 17 and the Grand Finale on December 19.

NFO is an initiative of the Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) Committee of ICAP that works for the professional development of Chartered Accountants and finance fraternity at large. It is a unique initiative by ICAP providing a distinctive platform to finance professionals working in industry and firms to come together, compete and celebrate their competence. It aims to exhibit and celebrate the talent of finance professionals in Pakistan while providing a networking opportunity to meet the bright young minds of the profession.

 

First cohort of BS Economics and MS Journalism graduate

(Muhammad Yasir – NUT Reported)  The Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi held its annual convocation 2019 at the main campus to confer degrees to 926 graduates. The graduating batch included 673 undergraduate students from six programs, 252 postgraduate students from seven programs, and one PhD scholar.

The Chief Guest of the ceremony was Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh. Minister for Food and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Nisar Ahmed Khuhro is ‘Pro chancellor all Public Universities and Advisor Universities and Boards – Government of Sindh’, Mr. Mushtaq Chhapra attended as Guests of Honour.

Executive Director IBA, Karachi Dr. Farrukh Iqbal congratulated the graduating students and their families and announced that 80 percent of the Institute’s current graduating batch has attained employment of their choice within three months of graduation. Addressing the audience, Dr. Iqbal announced that the first cohort of BS Economics and MS Journalism are graduating and will enter the job market. Furthermore, he said that the IBA is the first Institute to offer a specialized degree in Journalism.

Mr. Chhapra applauded the IBA’s initiative to start the Responsible Citizen Initiative (RCI) or Social Internship and many institutions of higher learning are following in the footsteps of the IBA. He highlighted the diversity at the IBA and mentioned that many graduates of TCF have obtained education from the IBA through its financial assistance program.  He also said, “Life is not about being rich, popular or highly educated, it’s about being real. It’s all about being humble and being kind.”

Mr. Khuhro said that the skillset which the graduates have learnt at the Institute will help them with the intricacies of life. He added that being graduates of the IBA makes them stand out from the rest and also endows them with a responsibility to perform well. He also said that, “With a legacy of more than 6 decades, the IBA has proven to be a hub of nurturing talents from which not only Pakistan but the whole world has benefitted. This esteemed Institution has produced nothing but the best leaders and professionals that not only lead but inspire.”

Chief Guest Dr. Shaikh appreciated the efforts of the IBA and asked the students to value the virtues this Institute has empowered them with and urged the graduates to strive for excellence and said that, “No great institution, and great achievement has been possible without one person saying I don’t care about the odds. I want you to be those people, who don’t care about the odds and on the course to greatness.”

The convocation ceremony featured the position holders in various degree programs who were awarded cash prizes, medals, shields and certificates of merit. Graduating students excelling in the field of sports were also recognized. Performance awards were given to staff and faculty members including the Best Teacher and Best Researcher awards.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) The ICT talent gap in the Middle East must be addressed by the public and private sectors, said ambassadors and academic chancellors from across the region during the recently held ICT Talent Education Summit roundtable. The high-level discussion was hosted as part of the final of the Huawei Middle East ICT Competition 2019, which has concluded at Huawei’s global headquarters in Shenzhen, China.

As part of the Competition’s finale, China-based ambassadors and chancellors from the Middle East—representing the countries of participating students—gathered to assess the ICT sector in the region at present, and how to evolve it in the years to come. The ICT Talent Education Summit roundtable also involved academic tutors from the region, senior representatives from the UNESCO Centre for Innovation in Higher Education, the Chinese and Foreign Humanities Exchange Centre, the Department of Education and Ministry of Education in China, and the South University of Science and Technology in China.

During the roundtable, Huawei released a new whiter paper exploring ICT talent development in the Middle East. The report cites the rapid development of technologies such as 5G, AI, and cloud computing as having a significant impact on local economies leading to business growth and social development. The Middle East and Africa, as a region, spent an estimated USD$230 billion in the ICT sector last year—according to IDC—and that spend is expected to grow to USD$245 billion by the year 2020.

Roundtable participants voiced a clear consensus that governments should aim to increase investment in ICT talent enhancement and present solutions on how to address the shortage issue. Meanwhile, universities must strive to adapt their curriculum to meet the requirements of ICT talent cultivation in the future, with industry stakeholders such as telcos and leading vendors like Huawei making their own contributions to developing talent and building the ICT talent ecosystem through open collaboration with all related partners and players, in addition to targeted CSR initiatives, programs and other activities.

Charles Yang, President of HUAWEI Middle East, said: “There is a lot that the public and private sectors can still do to promote the development of ICT talent who have the capability to carry our societies forward in the new, intelligent digital era. Huawei is committed to building the ICT ecosystem in the Middle East, encouraging and fostering talent within the sector through initiatives such as the Huawei ICT Competition, Seeds for the Future program, Huawei Academy, and internship programs.”

“The ICT sector is growing in popularity amongst young professionals, but there is still a long way to go in order to close the talent gap. We must openly collaborate to make the development of young ICT talent a priority for all,” Yang added.

Recognizing the ICT sector’s growing impact on societies and businesses alike, countries across the Middle East are now implementing plans to take advantage of emerging technologies that can support digital transformation. These technologies now play a critical role in sectors such as oil and gas, construction, healthcare, and e-government. Many governments are now helping to facilitate that digitization by setting up ICT parks and special economic zones whereby foreign investors can now hold 100% business ownership. A recent Booz & Company report showed that this strategy has been working effectively, but more such efforts are needed to meet the demand.

For its part, the Huawei Middle East ICT Competition aims to nurture local talent by bringing together government authorities, colleges, and universities to support future leaders. The Competition also promotes innovation and creativity with the intention to increase national ICT competitiveness. Throughout 2019, the Huawei ICT Competition attracted more than 21,000 student registrations from 437 colleges and universities in 10 Middle East countries. This year’s final had a total of 13 teams and 20 ministries participate from countries across the region.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) The Institute of Business Administration, Karachi will hold its Annual Convocation on December 7, 2019 to confer degrees to the graduating batch of 926 students (673 undergraduates from six programs, 252 post graduates from eight programs, and one PhD candidate).

The first batch of BS Economics and MS Journalism will graduate and enter the job market. The IBA is the first Institute to offer a specialized degree in Journalism. Eighty percent of the Institute’s current graduating batch has attained employment of their choice within 3 months of graduation.

The Chief Guest of the ceremony will be Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh. Minister for Food and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Sindh Mr. Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and Co-Founder The Citizens Foundation (TCF) Mr. Mushtaq Chhapra will be attending as Guests of Honour. Patron IBA and Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah is also expected to grace the occasion.

This year a few of the medals and awards have been sponsored by the corporate sector and philanthropists, including Martin Dow, Pakistan Beverage Limited, PepsiCo, Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC), United Bank Limited, Pakistan Press Foundation and Aftab Associates and Mr. Mumtaz Hassan Khan.

With over 6 decades of legacy, the Institute has achieved prominence across national and international platforms due to the quality of its graduates and esteemed faculty which is well versed in numerous disciplines, where more than 60% of the faculty members hold a PhD degree.

60% of SMEs globally not supported to tackle bribery and corruption

 

A new global survey by ACCA has revealed 60% believe there is insufficient guidance for SMEs to combat bribery and corruption.

The research, commissioned by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), has highlighted that of 932 cross-sector accountants surveyed, fewer than one in three believe there is enough support for small businesses to tackle bribery and corruption.

In the professional accountancy body’s report Combating bribery in the SME sector, respondents outlined fears that procedures and policies and risk assessments are not always in place to help management and the employees.

The survey showed how SMEs value practising accountants for their all-round business support services, but that there is still a pressing need for collaborative work with governments around the world, inter-governmental departments and other stakeholders.

‘Bribery and corruption is not only a concern for SMEs. It is a concern for our society as a whole which continuously erodes ethical values and norms. The long-term harm done to the whole economy is recognised by many in the business world in Pakistan, and the official government messages that bribery and corruption must not be tolerated should be repeated loud and often. But practically supporting SMEs in Pakistan to tackle bribery and corruption should be the first step.’ – Sajjeed Aslam, head of ACCA Pakistan

Jason Piper, global policy lead for Business Law at ACCA, highlighted the challenges that SMEs face in understanding the legal requirements in connection with bribery and corruption.

Mr Piper pinpointed SMEs globally are overwhelmingly seeing bribery and corruption as having a negative impact on the business environment.

He said: ‘The findings from this survey are conclusive and show businesses are desperately searching for that much-needed support.

Globally, 62% of survey respondents believe SMEs that demonstrate strong anti-bribery credentials will be more likely to be able to trade with large businesses and public bodies. This reflects that fact that global enterprises are increasingly concerned about their supply chain exposure to a range of risks associated with CSR, including bribery and corruption issues.

‘Compared with our survey findings from six years ago, small businesses believe there is even less guidance on combating bribery and corruption. We found that employees negotiating on behalf of companies need awareness courses on what constitutes bribery – and more important how to deal with this.

‘Crucially, anti-bribery guidance for SMEs needs to be short and accessible. This is something most of our members questioned do not believe to be the case.’

Mr Piper concluded that whilst the accountancy profession has been working to support small businesses, collaborative work with governments around the world, inter-governmental departments and other stakeholders must continue to progress.

He said: ‘ACCA will continue to work with the stakeholders with the objective of more resources being made available. Governments need to ensure whistle-blowers remain protected – through developing additional guidance or improving awareness of what already exists in this area.’