HEC, Microsoft to co-op in software field

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Microsoft Pakistan launched a National Student Software Accessibility (NSSA) Portal to provide genuine software to the higher education sector. This service will streamline software distribution to faculty members and students of all public universities in the country. All public sector universities recognised by the HEC have been provided a customisable portal for licensed software distribution.
The portal, consisting of over 150 software applications, will enable over a million students and 40,000 faculty members to download genuine Microsoft software. The portal will also strengthen HEC’s objective of equipping university students and faculty members across the country with the latest technology. An event was held to mark the launch of the portal at the HEC Secretariat on Saturday. The event was attended by vice chancellors, rectors, directors, and representatives from various universities of the country.
Speaking on the occasion, HEC Chairperson Dr Javaid R Laghari said the portal provided an opportunity for institutions of higher learning to gain access to a “broad spectrum” of technology. Leghari added that the introduction of the portal would enable the country to move towards a knowledge-based economy which would ultimately benefit the country by boosting socioeconomic development.
“I appreciate Microsoft’s commitment to the development of the education sector in Pakistan. It is always fruitful for the public and private sectors to combine their expertise, knowledge and resources. In this case the collaboration aims to ensure the development of a successful and sustainable education system. Microsoft has facilitated the HEC to attain its goals by transforming education, fostering local innovation and creating jobs and opportunities through the Strategic Education Alliance,” the chairperson said.
Microsoft Pakistan Country General Manager Kamal Ahmed said Microsoft believed that Information and Communications Technology (ICT), combined with education, paved the path upon which individuals, communities and nations walk to achieve their true potential. “NSSA provides support for a joint public and private sector plan that will sustain Pakistan’s objective of achieving excellence in education. The NSSA is aligned with the key strategic aims of transforming education, fostering local innovation and using genuine software,” Ahmed said.
Last year, HEC and Microsoft entered into an agreement to provide centralised IT services to universities and degree awarding institutions across Pakistan while maintaining the highest standards in the use of ICT. The agreement included the provision of programmes such as Faculty Connection, Microsoft Student Partner Programme, Imagine Cup, Course Lab Integration, Student to Business Interaction (S2B), NET clubs and the MSDN Academic Alliance.