DTC Pakistan at a glance
Virtual University of Pakistan (VU) is a public university established in 2002 with the mission to provide the highest quality of education and research opportunities to students irrespective of their age, gender, religion, and geographical location by using modern ICT with content developed by top experts of their respective fields. It joined the Initiative in January 2022. Today, the university counts on more than 200 campuses across the country delivering digital skill training at basic, intermediate and advanced level.
DTC Pakistan conducts its first train-the-trainer programme on computer basics for the visually impaired
From 18 November to 6 December 2024, the Professional Development Center (PDC) of the Virtual University (VU) of Pakistan (DTC Pakistan) implemented its first train-the-trainer programme on the “Introduction to Computer Basics for the Visually Impaired” (ICBVI) course. This specialized training was organised by VU with support from ITU and Norway through the DTC Project “Boosting digital skills through Digital Transformation Centres”, and ST Foundation who provided the expertise and content necessary to start the roll-out of the programme. The main objective was to equip trainers with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively teach visually impaired individuals the fundamentals of computer usage, fostering inclusivity in digital education.
During the first two weeks of the programme, 10 visually impaired trainers and 10 sighted instructors (of whom 30% were women) engaged in comprehensive and hands-on learning and had the opportunity to practice the skills acquired with a group of 20 visually impaired learners who joined the sessions in the afternoons. Following the second week of training, 8 instructors (5 sighted and 3 visually impaired) from the initial cohort were selected, based on their performance, to become master trainers and received an additional week of advanced training on the ICBVI course. As a way forward, DTC Pakistan plans to engage the trainers trained to conduct at least two more trainings for a group of 40 visually impaired citizens in Karachi as well as in the northern part of the country.
DTC Pakistan conducts a training seminar to empower high school girls through digital skills
On 29 July 2024, the Virtual University (VU) of Pakistan organised a one-day training seminar under the theme “Empowering Girls with ICT skills”, with the support of ITU and the Government of Norway through the Project “Boosting Digital Skills through Digital Transformation Centres” along with technical support from Cisco. The training was organized with the aim to inspire female high-school students to pursue ICT and STEM education through various learning platforms and guide them in their studies and future careers.
The seminar took place at the VU Lahore and Raiwind Road Office Lahore and brought together 40 onsite participants, in addition to 60 girls who joined remotely from the VU campus in Karachi Orangi Town, and from a school in Islamabad of Telecom Foundation Education System (TFES). Participants primarily consisted of high-school girls in the 9th and 10th grade who have little to no basic digital skills and who come from underserved or underprivileged communities.
The programme started with a panel session featuring national and international ICT professionals: the discussion highlighted the collaborative efforts of the ICT sector leaders in Pakistan and shared insights on the achievements of the DTC Initiative and its impact to date in the country. The panel was followed by an overview presentation on the Digital Transformation Centres Initiative and demonstration of the Cisco NetAcad and Skills for All platforms.
Students were also introduced to the HP-LIFE platform through a practical and hands-on session held in Urdu. After registering on the platform, they had the opportunity to enrol and complete several courses and benefitted from the guidance and support of VU Pakistan trainers and facilitators. A virtual follow up session will be held in August after the summer break, so that participants can share their feedback and impressions on the HP-LIFE courses.
