The National University has launched a mandatory 4-credit Information and Communication Technology (ICT) course for undergraduate students.
The course, aimed at transforming 70% of higher education students into skilled human resources, will consist of 3 credits of theory and 1 credit of practical work, said the ICT Division of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and ICT.
The initiative will begin in the 2024-25 academic year, affecting approximately 3.6 lakh students across 31 subjects in the undergraduate (Honours) program and 4 off-campus subjects.
An additional 2 lakh students from the Bachelor’s (Pass) program will be included in the following year, bringing the total number of students benefiting from the course to 5.6 lakh annually.
A shortage of qualified teachers and limited computer labs has been identified as key challenges.
To address these, the ICT Division’s Aspire to Innovate (a2i) program and UNICEF are providing the necessary technical assistance.
To further support the initiative, a Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop has already been completed to enhance the skills of ICT teachers.
In October, an online content development program and an orientation session for 90 core trainers will be conducted. These trainers will then train 900 teachers from 883 honours colleges.
Looking ahead, National University plans to introduce the ICT course for the Degree (Pass) program from next year, with a target of training 12,000 teachers.
The university is also working with Microsoft and Adobe to launch world-class professional skill courses for students.
By equipping students with essential ICT skills, National University aims to create a highly skilled workforce capable of meeting the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
This announcement was made in a notification issued by the National University on 19 September.
