Islamabad, July 9, 2026: Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) Mr. Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan visited the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Smart Classroom on Wednesday to virtually interact with students enrolled in the ACT AI Online Short Course on Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills. He later met HEC officials to review the programme’s progress and discuss plans for expanding AI education and industry linkages for Pakistani youth.
HEC was represented by Dr Nasir Khan, Member Quality Assurance; Dr Shafiqu e Rehman, Member Strategic Planning; and officials from the IT and Curriculum Division involved in implementing the ACT AI initiative.
During the virtual session, students from higher education institutions across Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan shared their experience of the course and praised its instruction, practical curriculum and relevance to industry needs. They also pointed out areas for improvement, and Chairman PMYP assured them that their feedback would be included in future phases of the initiative.
Rana Mashhood said the ACT AI initiative reflects the government’s commitment to preparing young people for opportunities in the digital economy. He said the programme, launched under the vision of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, is being run through the PMYP, HEC, NAVTTC and ACT AI to equip youth with modern AI skills. He also said work is under way on Pakistan’s first uniform AI curriculum and that future cohorts will include the latest advances in artificial intelligence.
The meeting also discussed the next phase of the programme and efforts to build a stronger AI talent pipeline. Participants reviewed possible collaboration with Ignite, NAVTTC, the National Incubation Center (NIC), the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) and university incubation centres to support internships, mentoring, entrepreneurship, industry exposure and employment opportunities for students.
Officials said the first cohort has produced encouraging results, with several alumni now serving as instructors and mentors in the initiative. They agreed to continue the programme through structured two month cohorts, while follow up coordination meetings with partner organisations will be held to strengthen implementation and industry engagement.
HEC also briefed the meeting on its broader initiatives to improve computing education and graduate employability, including the National Skill Competency Test (NSCT) for final year computing students and its decision to introduce a mandatory Artificial Intelligence course across undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes.
Appreciating HEC’s role through its Smart Classroom network, Rana Mashhood commended the Commission’s efforts to expand access to quality digital education and reaffirmed PMYP’s commitment to working with HEC and partner organisations to build a skilled and globally competitive workforce for Pakistan’s digital transformation.
