ISLAMABAD, Oct 1 (ABC): Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Wednesday awarded certificates to students of Islamabad’s public-sector schools who completed the Huawei Summer ICT Training Program, with some students earning more than two dozen certifications.
The certification programme was organised in collaboration with Huawei Technologies Pakistan under the Prime Minister’s ICT training initiative.
During an award distribution ceremony at the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, the minister interacted with the students and discussed their experiences and the skills they acquired during the programme.
Among the students recognised, Class 9 student Ayesha Zaib completed 33 certifications, the highest number among the recipients. Class 12 student Hifsa Waqas and Class 9 student Hadia Zarnab completed 28 certifications each.
Laiba Nadeem of Class 12 and Sajafah Farooq of Class 9 earned 27 certifications each, while Class 7 student Ayesha Mujtaba completed 26 certifications.
Congratulating the students, Shaza Fatima said the government, under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s vision, was focusing on equipping young Pakistanis, particularly girls, with skills and opportunities to contribute to the country’s digital transformation and compete in the global digital economy.
She said technology was becoming increasingly relevant beyond the traditional IT sector, with digital tools and emerging technologies transforming education, healthcare, business, finance, agriculture and public services.
“Whatever field our young people choose, technology will increasingly be part of their professional journey. Our responsibility is to ensure that they have the skills to use it, create with it and eventually lead in it,” she said.
The minister encouraged the students to explore emerging fields, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud computing, software development and data science, and to apply their knowledge to practical challenges.
“Pakistan has immense talent. We want our young people not only to consume technology, but to create it, innovate with it and offer their talent to the world,” she said.
Shaza Fatima also urged the students to share their knowledge with classmates and encourage other girls to explore technology and pursue opportunities in the digital economy.
She appreciated Huawei Technologies Pakistan and the school administrations for providing students with practical exposure to industry-relevant technologies and internationally recognised certifications.
Huawei Pakistan CEO AI and Cloud Ahmed Bilal Masood reaffirmed the company’s commitment to supporting Pakistan’s digital transformation and developing the next generation of ICT talent through industry-relevant training and practical exposure.
Concluding the interaction, the minister urged the students to regard the training as the beginning of a longer learning journey and continue developing their skills to create technology-based solutions to real-world challenges.
