ISLAMABAD, Jun 20 (APP): Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Thursday said we aim to transform the entire education system of Pakistan. He pointed out the high number of out of school children and the adverse impact it is having on the society.
He was talking to a high level delegation led by Kevin Kells, Managing Director, Google for Education, which called on him. The delegation included Farhan Qureshi, Country Director Pakistan Google, Aron Saether Jackson, CEO Allied, Umar Farooq, CEO Tech Valley amongst other senior officials of Google. The meeting was also attended by senior officials of the education ministry led by Secretary Education Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani.
Dr. Khalid welcomed the diverse Google delegation that comprised of officials from seven different countries including USA, UK, Australia etc.
He said under his leadership, the ministry was working tirelessly to bring this number down. He said that this crisis has been given the highest priority.
He said the delegation can provide expertise and knowledge that can help us chart future plans that can enable us to resolve this issue.
Dr. Khalid urged the delegation to expand their scope of work with special regard to education in Pakistan. He assured the delegation of full support of the Ministry of Education.
The optimum use of technology is the only way to bridge the enormous gap of resources needed. Pakistan is at a critical juncture where every effort needs to be in the right direction, he said.
Dr. Khalid said as all of the tech companies would expand their presence in Pakistan, it will lead to more development, growth and investment which is the need of the hour.
He reiterated his resolve of increasing the number of skilled workforce in Pakistan. Cities like Karachi have huge
population and through proper technological investments its people can become more productive, he said.
The minister assured the delegation of full support from his office and said that without technological advancements our education crisis cannot be resolved. He also thanked the delegation and hoped that short, medium and long term investment plans will be implemented forthwith.
Earlier, Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Thursday inaugurated a Tech-Ed Centre of Excellence established in collaboration with Google here at IMCG, F-6/2.
