COMSATS Lauded for Promoting IT

Federal Minister for science and Technology Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman has appreciated the management of COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT) for its efforts to promote the IT culture in the country through establishment of different campuses and implementation of research and development projects.

According to a press release, issued here on Monday, he was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Wah Cantt.

The Minister said that a 90-day deadline was given to the COMSATS to make the institute fully functional, which was met on time. Saying that COMSATS Institutes are providing quality education, the minister gave the credit to the dynamic leadership of the institute. Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman assured the management of the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology support from the Ministry of Science and Technology in the future.

"Since the independence in 1947, we had a wrong vision of progress, as we kept wasting our resources in building unnecessary infrastructure like roads, but failed to invest in the most important field of education. The oil and minerals are losing their importance in this era. The real wealth is knowledge and the countries having wealth of knowledge are tremendously moving ahead", Dr. Atta said.

The recently established institute is a joint venture of COMSATS and Pakistan Ordinance Factory, and is first of its kind in Wah Cantt. The institute has a modern infrastructure and highly learned and professional faculty.

"The COMSATS Institute of Information Technology is now fully equipped to handle the dynamics of the fast paced IT industry and to meet the challenges of the future technologies", said Dr. S.M. Junaid Zaidi, Rector of the Institute, in his welcome address at the inauguration ceremony.

Chairman POF Board Gen. Abdul Qayyum, who was also present on the occasion, in his address said: "We are faced with a new challenge everyday due to rapid growth of IT in this era".

Dr. S.M. Junaid Zaidi, in his address aptly summed up the achievements of his institute. He said that COMSATS has trained 10,000 boys and girls as data operators, 2,000 medical transcriptionists, 500 quality controllers, 5,000 federal government employees and 1,000 java programmes.

Source: Daily, The News, Tuesday, September 18, 2001