UNESCO Appointed Head For Using The Information And Communication Technology For Development (ICTD) From Pakistan
UNESCO Appointed Head For Using The Information And Communication Technology For Development (ICTD) From Pakistan: Pakistani computer scientist and technology head Dr. Umar Saif has been appointed as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) chair for using Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD).
Saif is leading one of the biggest improvements in technology not just in Punjab, but also in other provinces. Over 139 million people have phones, 40% of those have converted to smartphones and are using Internet data in Pakistan. This is the first international UNESCO chair in the field of ICTD and will help Pakistan in the use of technology to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dr Umar initiated E classroom education with an aim to take the entire content from a single textbook of grade 6 to grade 12 and digitize them. These books are available on the website elearn.punjab.gov.pk. Apart from simple text, the e-books have video lectures, educational games and animations to help children learn. These books have now been added to teacher’s personal smartphones and tablets.
Dr Umar Saif, who heads the Punjab Information Technology Board is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cambridge University. He is the first Pakistani to be named as one of the top 35 innovators in the world by MIT Technology Review (TR35) in 2011, and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2010. He as the only Pakistani has received Google Faculty Research Award, Mark Weiser Award, MIT Technovator Award and Microsoft Research Digital Inclusion Award and British Council Outstanding Alumni Award. Sitara-e-Imtiaz was given to him by the government of Pakistan in 2014 and is mentioned as the most influential muslim of the world list 2014-2018.
UNESCO honoring Pakistan is a recognition of our work in using technology to solve problems like access to education, better healthcare, technology-enabled agriculture practices, rural Internet connectivity and digital financial inclusion in the developing world. It will help Pakistan become a global hub of ICTD. Dr Saif aims to establish Information Technology University in collaboration with world-leading universities such as United Nations University (UNU), Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the University of Washington.
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