36,000 students given digital, computer literacy in govt schools
PESHAWAR:27 November: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Broad (KPITB) has imparted basic computer and digital literacy training to 36,795 students and 637 IT teachers of government schools in last three years.
KPITB Managing Director Dr Sahibzada Ali Muhud said that KPITB in collaboration with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education Department was running Early Age Programming Projects (EAP) to give computer literacy and digital skills training to both students and teachers of government schools. The curriculum developed for the Early Age Programming initiative is by far the most advanced in the country, leaving behind the curriculum offered by most of the renowned private schools, he said. “The project has produced remarkable results and the computer literacy and digital skill level of students have improved significantly”, he said.
He said that KPITB was playing important role in digital transformation of the province. KPITB took initiative of “Early Age Programming and IT Essentials for the children of schools in 2017 to energize, encourage and empower children enrolled in government schools of the province with computer programming skills by adopting innovative means of learning knowledge and education.
Managing Director KPITB said that after the successful implementation of EAP project in settled areas of the province, the project was extended to merged districts under annual development program (ADP) scheme, where in IT labs being established in eight schools of merged areas in the current fiscal year.
Giving objectives and importance of the EAP, he said that basic purpose was to introduce computer programming in government schools and train students of class -VI to class VIII on early age programming curriculum, impart training to IT teachers on early age programming curriculum and raising awareness about IT essentials.
He said that presently 800 students were enrolled in online EAP boot camp arranged for the kids to equip them with digital literacy amid Covid-19.He said that curriculum developed for the EAP initiative has enabled students to develop mobile Apps, animation, websites and games with the help of block programming tools, adding over 5000 animations, websites and apps have been developed by students under EAP.
Managing Director KPITB informed that EAP has project has produced remarkable results and computer literacy, digital and analytical skills, problem solving and decision making skills of the marginalized students of government schools has improved significantly through drag and drop computer programming. He said that KPITB Early Age Programming projects has increased the proportion of ICT educated students and teachers in the province who can now more efficiently carry out jobs that require computer literacy.The news.
