COMPUTER TIMES SAYS "PAKISTAN'S IT PUSH PAYING OFF"

   "In an extensive two page write up in its 29 November issue, Computer Times
weekly of Singapore says, " The best accolade for Pakistan's drive to make IT
a top industry is by investors pleased with the level of the
infrastructure support and skilled workforce they find in the country It goes
on to quote an astonished Darren Rushworth, ORACLE's Director for
Education Initiatives, saying, "They took just three weeks to turn a grass
field into a world-class IT training facility, complete with computer
labs,fiber optic network, file services, and even a library". This
demonstrates the commitment of country's public, private, and academic sectors
in making IT educational success, concludes the weekly.

  Full text of the write up is available at 

   www. Computertimes.asia 1.com.sg/news.htm

  DAWN GROUP TO HOST IT EXPO /CONFERENCE

    Held from 23-24 January, 2001, at Export Promotion Bureau's Export Centre,
Karachi, the Exhibition and seminar  will be called "IT, the future of
Pakistan." The organizer's objective is to serve the purpose of recognition of
Pakistan's potential to become a major force in IT, and need to properly
channel the considerable energies of country's recent IT sector. The event is
expected to attract the attention of senior IT decision makers, both 
Pakistani as well as international. For participation details e-mail. to:
 mktg @ dawn.com

 PAKISTAN BANDWIDTH RATES  CHEAPEST IN THE REGION

 Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman, Minister for IT and Telecom, told a seminar that
 bandwidth rates had been slashed to be the cheapest in the region. He said
these rates were now one fifth of those offered in neighbouring India.

 GOVERNMENT TO SHARE COST OF HIRING FOREIGN IT FACULTY

 The Government has approved a plan to hire qualified faculty member from
 overseas for accredited degree-awarding information technology institutions
throughout the country. A sum of Rs.40 million has also been sanctioned for
the purpose. The plan has been developed to ensure quality, affordability and
employability of the IT manpower being produced in the country, and to
overcome the shortage of quality teaching staff.

 According to the government estimates, about 2,500 new IT professionals with 
BCS degrees will be required by software houses in the year 2000, and about 
20,000 by the year 2003.
 

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