Peter Knight arrived in Pakistan on 30 October and returned to Washington on 17 November 2000 to lead a UNDP-funded Feasibility Assessment Mission for the South Institute of Information Technology (SIIT). On 14 October the Mission presented its preliminary findings to the Pakistani Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Atta ur Rahman, in a meeting at the Ministry. A draft report was completed on November 17, was circulated to key stakeholders for review before being finalized after a meeting of the stakeholders at UNDP Pakistan headquarters on November 24. Implementation of the project, which has been merged with the Virtual Information Technology University  (VITU) project in the Action Plan of the Ministry of Science and Technology began in January 2001. 

Two Pakistani consultants participated in the mission, Dr. Naveed A. Malik (Chairman of the Computer Science Department at the University of the Punjab and the person charged with developing the VITU by the Minister of Science and Technology) and Asim Iftikhar (a chartered accountant and partner in the firm Anjum Asim Shahid & Co.). Naeem Ahmad was the UNDP Program Management Officer for the mission.

Naveed Malik and Peter Knight prepared a short summary of a proposal to create a satellite-based service to deliver the VITU's content outside Pakistan, which would in fact make it the SIIT. See the executive summary of the report presented to UNDP. The Full Report is also available

Asim Iftikhar, Naeem Ahmad, and Naveed Malik

Meeting at the Ministry of Science and Technology 14 November 2000, Minister Atta ur Rhaman middle left

The mission presents its preliminary report, right side of table, left to right, Asim Iftikhar, Naveed Malik, Peter Knight, and UNDP Resident Representative Önder Yücer

Here are some more photos of the team from the mission, in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi. 

 Elements from the Feasibility Assessment Mission Terms of Reference

 Background: The Chief Executive of Pakistan, at the G-77 Summit in Havana in April 2000, presented a proposal for the establishment of a South Institute of Information Technology (SIIT) to be based in Pakistan. UNDP Pakistan is assisting Government of Pakistan (GOP) to prepare a feasibility assessment for establishing South Institute of Information Technology (SIIT), a multi-million dollar initiative of the Government to upgrade quality and quantity of IT graduates in Pakistan and neighboring countries.

Strengthening the capacities of developing countries to utilize more effectively the potential of IT for socio-economic development at the national level has become essential for a more equitable and participatory global order. South-South cooperation in this area is also an important means to promote technological development in developing countries themselves. A number of developing countries already possess considerable capabilities in information technologies as well as willingness to share this knowledge with other developing countries. However, there is a need for intermediary institutions that can play a proactive role in fostering such partnerships, networking and capacity building, sharing best practices and useful experiences. The Government of Pakistan assigns great importance to the development of information technology (IT) in the country. In view of the booming IT industry world wide, GOP believes that by instituting a favorable policy framework supported by appropriate institutions, a breakthrough achievement can be realized in the field of IT in Pakistan.

 UNDP  fielded a short pre-feasibility assessment mission to Pakistan (30 August – 1 September 2000) through Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (APDIP), Kuala Lumpur. Consequent to the findings of the pre-feasibility mission, a three-member mission is being fielded for the preparation of a feasibility report for the SIIT.

The report of the pre-feasibility mission suggests that the initiative of SIIT would be a ‘Virtual Training Institute’ by linking together various educational facilities with the aim of raising standards in IT instruction. The report considered this initiative to be critical for the development of IT sector in Pakistan as the demand for qualified and marketable graduates far exceeds the supply due to inconsistent quality of teaching. For example it is estimated that the current demand for IT professionals is about 20,000 while the supply is 4,000, out of which about 500-700 graduates are considered of high quality. Although Pakistan would be the main beneficiary of the new initiative, the objective is to make the institute of such repute that it would be able to attract students and resources from other developing countries. Unsubstantiated budget estimates suggest that the establishment of the institute could cost up to US $10 million. However, the institute should be able to recover its costs over a period of time.

TORs for the Feasibility Team

 Objective: A full assessment study to examine the feasibility in terms of components, alternatives and financial and technical implications of the establishment of the South Institute of Information Technology in Pakistan.

The team will assess the following:

 ·        The South Institute of Information Technology concept, its implications, management and alternatives;

·        A review and identification of possible stakeholders and their roles;

·        Technical solutions to establish a virtual learning infrastructure in the most effective manner using existing national capacity as much as possible;

·        Present faculty capacity level.  Present status of key Universities offering IT courses;

·        Overview of curricula presently offered and a comparative analysis with overseas institutions;

·        A brief evaluation of graduate level of competence;

·        Data communication infrastructure, Internet access capacity in Pakistan;

·        Marketing: estimated national and regional demand and supply.  International and national marketing opportunities and niches and their relevance in terms of employment prospects; and,

·        Financials: a detailed budget for the establishment of the Institute, with cost-recovery analysis and business planning.