As part of the Tech Ed Sindh Program of the US Consulate Karachi, in collaboration with the NEST I/O, TechTree made a visit to six universities of interior Sindh. Sindh being the second largest province of Pakistan by population, lacks behind considerably in the rate of innovation and educational and technological developments. Not setting to argue on whom lies the responsibility of this demeaning condition, the program organizers were set to reach the active citizens of the area; the student force, that carries the potential of bringing the desired reform.
The concept behind the Tech Ed Sindh program was familiarizing students with technology and entrepreneurial skills. The hallmark of the campaign was acquainting students with their own capabilities and making them realize on how they can contribute towards the development of their own self and thus the development of their nation. Technology education provides the technical skills whilst entrepreneurial education provides entrepreneurial skills which helps groom an individual in how they can use those technical skills to generate revenue and thereby also increase productivity and economic growth of their country. Six sessions were held in each of the six universities by various startups in the field and the members of the NEST I/O. The six sessions included: Robotics, covered by Shaheer Ahmed from TechTree; Entrepreneurship, covered by Sabika Abbas from The Nest I/O; Introduction to Coding, covered by Sameer Ahmed Khan from Social Champ; Rapid Prototyping and Creative Thinking, covered by Umair Ali Khatri from The Nest I/O; Interpersonal Skills, covered by Sana Khan Niazi from The Nest I/O; and Solar Energy, covered by Nasir Jumani from EjaadTech. TechTree specifically focused on Aerial Robotics and how the development in this particular field can impact the future of Pakistan. The session consisted of an introduction to aerial robotics, its significance throughout the world, how educating and working in the field carries a good scope and how an expert in aerial robotics can revolutionize various industrial sectors in Pakistan such as agriculture, mining, security etc. The six universities that were visited were Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Sindh University Jamshoro, SZABIST Larkana, Quaid e Awam University Nawabshah, Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur and IBA Sukkur.
The program proved to be a great success right from the very moment of sessions being conducted with the interest of the students, their active participation in the discussion and their willingness to continue to research and work further in the area that attracted them the most. This promising feedback from the students as well as the faculty members of the respective universities has encouraged the organizers of the Tech Ed Sindh Program to hold more of such campaigns and reach out to more universities across Pakistan.
