Building underprivileged students into Pakistan’s IT future

MVP Munir Usman is working closely with Microsoft helping build out a CLP (Computer Literacy Program) leveraging several Key Microsoft Academic Initiatives to educate and grow top IT resources out of the underprivileged, who normally would not be in a position to contribute to the IT economy of Pakistan. This program will seen over 200 such students moving into the IT arena in the first year through the MIC’s (Microsoft Innovation Centers) and currently over 20 per month through this future focused initiative.

Computer Literacy Program: This program is actually inspired from Microsoft Digital Literacy Program and The Community Microsoft Authorised Refurbisher (MAR) and Microsoft Student2Business Program. In Pakistan, there are a number of students who are unable to get Computer and IT knowledge just because they cannot afford expensive Computer Hardware/Software and Education. With the help of Microsoft Innovation Center, IT Education Society of All Pakistan Memon Federation (APMF) and other local Educational NGOs, Munir along with Microsoft has started this Computer Literacy Program in Karachi.

Keeping the limited number of resources in mind, they have planned to give Basic Computer Education to at least 200 needy students in Microsoft Innovation Centre in the first year. They continue preparing Curriculum material with the help of Microsoft Digital Literacy Program and will give training to 20 students in each month. Training for first batch (20 students) has been started this month.

Not only, are they giving them free computer education but also have planned to give access to Computer Hardware and Internship opportunities. For computer hardware, they are working hard with Local hardware vendors to secure donors to donate refurbished computers from Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher in Karachi with very inexpensive licensed Microsoft software.

After successful training, the program will list profiles of those students on Microsoft Student2Business Website which brings Microsoft partners on-board to offer them internships in their organization.

This whole program was initially conceived and launched in conjunction with Mr. Vaqar Khamisani who was DPE Lead of Microsoft Pakistan at that time. He has moved to Microsoft UK few months ago and now Munir is working closely with the Microsoft Innovation Centre in Karachi, Naveed Bajwa, Talha Mahmood and Haseeb Shaukat from Microsoft Pakistan. to drive this exemplary example of leveraging initiative collaboration to make an impact within the IT arena of Pakistan.

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