To achieve these objectives in Pakistan, Microsoft Pakistan has entered into an Education Alliance Agreement with the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan to.


In essence, the Education Alliance Agreement between Microsoft and HEC will provide centralized IT services to HEC-approved universities across Pakistan while maintaining the highest standards in the use of Information Technology within the ambit of education in Pakistan.
Commenting on this major development in the country’s higher education sector, Kamal Ahmed, Country Manager, Microsoft Pakistan, said,

“This Education Alliance Agreement provides the framework for a comprehensive joint public/private implementation plan that supports Pakistan’s objective of achieving education excellence. It is aligned to the key strategic aims of Transforming Education, Fostering Local Innovation and Enabling Jobs and Opportunities, and contains a selection of mutually agreed programs and solutions that offer the tools and support to achieve the country’s overall vision pertaining to education.”

A key objective of the Agreement is to establish the basis of a long term, on-going partnership that will also allow for regular review and measurement to ensure that all  undertakings of Microsoft within the educational programs remain aligned to the long term.
Since it is always fruitful for the state sector and private enterprise to work together to combine expertise, knowledge, experience and resources to ensure successful and sustainable education transformation, Microsoft will help the HEC to attain its goals by transforming education, fostering local innovation and creating jobs and opportunities through this alliance.
This blends perfectly with the HEC’s stated objective of equipping university students and faculty with the latest technological access across Pakistan. The HEC is also committed to bridging the digital divide by bringing Pakistan at par with the developed nations of the world where technology enablement for the students is concerned.
Giving his views on the Agreement, Professor Dr. Sohail Naqvi, Executive Director of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, said

“The Commission has entered into this joint partnership with Microsoft to promote the use of Information Technology in Pakistan’s higher education sector through powerful software tools and to improve the efficiency of the education system by attaining the best accepted standards at all higher education institutions in the country.”

Since a strong technology infrastructure serves to make communities more appealing to local, regional and global businesses and investors, deployment of technology access under the education alliance will help bolster Pakistan’s economic growth and global.
Discussing the merits of the agreement, Anwar Amjad, HEC’s Director IT, said,

“This is a great opportunity for institutions of higher learning in Pakistan to gain access to a broad spectrum of technology and enable the country to move towards a knowledge-based economy.”