Islamabad: Chairman Senate's Standing Committee on Interior Senator Talha Mehmood has said that Pakistan has immense potential in the field of computer industry and government ought to focus on this industry as one of its top priority. He said that we are blessed with talented professionals and our youth have great capacity to serve the country in the field of computer and IT industry. However, he added, the apathy of the government is ironic, which is keeping us far behind than the other nations of the region in this important arena. He expressed these views while speaking at the closing ceremony of three day extensive training of Open Source Operating Systems (OS O/S), which was held here by the Pakistan Computer Association (PCA) in collaboration with Pakistan Software Export Board. The whole vendors training program and course contents were designed by PSEB-OSRC team members
Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) is the Government agency mandated to promote Pakistan's Information Technology (IT) industry. The Open Source Resource Center (OSRC) is a project of the Ministry of IT, executed by PSEB. It promotes open source solutions in the country through awareness-raising seminars, training workshops and network migrations.
More than seventy vendors from computer industry took part in the extensive training and learned much needed skills to sustain, survive and grow in the new arena of software technology. The participants termed the training course as a unique opportunity to IT professionals and computer vendors for learning and understanding the Open Source Operating Systems (OS O/S).
Senator Talha Mehmood said that such workshops should be held more frequently so that our skilled IT professionals could be able to grasp the modern developments in the field and serve the country by taking active and more effective role in the growth of this important sector of the economy. He assured the participants that, keeping in view the importance of IT and Computer industry for the overall progress and development of the sector, he will raise the concern of the IT industry at every possible platform. He urged the government to provide enabling environment for the growth of the industry.
Munawar Iqbal, Central President of the PCA highlighted the significance of the Open Source Operating Systems (OS O/S) and elaborated that Pakistan, as a third world country, cannot afford expensive software technology, which is being manipulated by few international monopolists. He said that Open Source System provides free of cost but highly effective free alternate solutions. Thus, the government must come forward to encourage and facilitate the training of this system to our local industry.
Khurram Islam Khan, Project Manger Open Source Resource center highlighted the usage of Open Source Software project objectives and achievements.
Earlier, three day training of Open Source Operating Systems (OS O/S) was concluded successfully. During the training, the stakeholders were given detailed orientation sessions about these operating system, which would be available almost free of cost to the stakeholders, ending monopoly of expensive software in the country. It was first of its kind of training program where IT experts and other stakeholders were provided an opportunity to learn about low cost operating system helpful in Pakistan business environment and working conditions of local corporate culture. The OSRC did not charge any cost of training from all PCA members and participants, but provide maximum literature, data and training advice from national and international experts to learn about the Open Source Operating Systems (OS O/S).
The training was aimed to help the IT professionals to learn how to operate state of the art software technology and launch the same in Pakistan effectively. Hence, an affordable new IT new technology would be available to all users in Pakistan besides protecting and ensuring following the Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) Regulations.
Abdullah Malik, President of PCA Islamabad Chapter, Arshad Janjua and others also expressed their views on the occasion and briefed the participants that the IT industry of Pakistan needs to enhance its adaptability to grasp the emerging global trends as well as to ensure smooth application of the rapidly changing technology and to attract further investment in the sector Pakistan Computer Association (PCA), has taken special initiative of providing training opportunity in Open Source Operating Systems (OS O/S) to the stake-holders of the industry throughout Pakistan.
source:pakcomputerassociation.com/members/news.php
