Islamabad, August 11, 2022:  Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MoFEPT) and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) signed an agreement for the provision of 04 educational OTT channels in order to deliver educational content to students across the country, at a ceremony in Islamabad on Thursday. The channels will boost accessibility to quality educational content to foster learning and growth amongst students of different age groups. 

Minister of Federal Education & Professional Training, Rana Tanveer Hussain was the Chief Guest at the occasion. Federal Secretary-MOFEPT, Aamir Ashraf Khawaja and Federal Secretary IT, Mohsin Mushtaq also attended the event. Contract was signed by Additional Secretary (MOFEPT), Waseem Ajmal Chaudhary and Group Chief Business Solutions Officer (PTCL & Ufone), Zarrar Hasham Khan.

Under the agreement, PTCL will provide 04 channels to the MOFEPT on its OTT Smart TV platform to deliver educational content for live viewing and downloading to students throughout the country. The digital channels will be available free of cost nationwide. The initiative will help MOFEPT in taking a stride toward digitalization of the education system for greater efficiency and improved learning.

During the ceremony, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training said, “The arrangement with PTCL is an important step toward the digitalization of Pakistan’s educational system based on the latest learning and tutoring techniques. We believe the time is ripe for such interventions because there is nationwide penetration of smartphones and speedy internet even across remote regions. We are glad to have found a collaborative partner in PTCL that shares our vision for such a ground-breaking initiative for the advancement of learning in society. Digitalization is the future and we will explore the opportunities for enhancing the scope and reach of this initiative for a sustainable and deeper impact”.

Speaking at the occasion, Waseem Ajmal Chaudhary, Additional Secretary MOFEPT said “The 04 OTT educational channels will be completely free of cost so that the educational material is accessible to students from all socioeconomic backgrounds without any need for a subscription. This step will play a significant role in the socioeconomic development of the country. Moreover, the initiative furthers MOFEPT’s continuous endeavor to foster social good for the people of Pakistan”.

Commenting on the agreement, Zarrar Hasham Khan, Group Chief Business Solutions Officer, PTCL & Ufone said, “PTCL is the largest ICT services provider having footprint across Pakistan and being a company playing a pivotal role in driving digital transformation revolution in the country, needs partners to boost education sector. This will create synergies to revolutionize the educational system of Pakistan and enable all geographical areas with modern learning mechanisms.”

Senior officials from MOFEPT & PTCL also attended the ceremony.