GILGIT: Some 184 educational institutions across Gilgit-Baltistan are being solarised as part of the government’s effort to materialise the vision of bringing about a technological revolution in the mountainous region, said the chief secretary.
Talking to the Associated Press of Pakistan, Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani noted that as the region had made a great stride towards the digitisation of educational institutions, the provision of an uninterrupted power supply was inevitable to achieve the objective.
“While we have made a great stride towards digitisation of our educational institutions, it will be futile if there is a shortage of electricity to power the digital skeleton in these schools. We do realise it and for the very purpose, we are solarising the educational hubs around the region,” he said.
Wani said that the solarised schools would not only be provided with solar backup but also have an additional battery backup to cope with prolonged power outages.
The chief secretary, who is putting in unprecedented efforts to bring about a change in the mountainous region by uplifting the people’s living standard and equipping the youth with modern technological tools, has steered the establishment of a software technology park in Skardu, after Gilgit.
“Every generation needs a new revolution and here in Gilgit Baltistan, we believe in the technology revolution. In this regard, an Information Technology Park in Skardu after Gilgit has been established by the government with the help of the Special Communication Organisation,” he said.
Highlighting the government’s priorities, Wani said the landscape of GB would be altered to bring it at par with the smart cities of the developed world and its economic base would be expanded through technological advancement.
Moreover, he said the facilities like uninterrupted power supply and high-speed Internet were being provided to various start-ups located in its vicinity which would encourage the youth to seek new avenues of employment and broaden the region’s workforce base.
In order to exploit the bright talent in higher education, the chief secretary, who is also the chairperson of Karakoram Cooperative Bank, has introduced the “Taleem Finance” scheme.
Under the scheme, the students from Gilgit-Baltistan securing admission to the top 15 universities across Pakistan would be offered loans to cover the fees and stipends associated with the degree programme.
The loan will be recovered after five years of the completion of their studies, Wani explained.
He recalled the region had already extended the loan facility to a student who secured admission at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), enabling her to fulfil the dream of growth and development.
