Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja has stressed the need to provide rural women with digital skills and information technology (IT) training, so that they can gain greater economic and social standing. She made the remarks in her message on the International Day of Rural Women, which is observed every year on October 15, and her statement was issued on Thursday in Islamabad. The minister said that access to digital knowledge is an important step for women in rural areas, and she placed the subject among the priorities of the ministry that she leads. The message links the observance of the day with the plans of the government for digital development in the country.
According to the minister, the government is supporting women in rural areas by improving their access to the internet and digital technologies. Access to the internet is the starting point for any form of online learning or work, and the minister said that the efforts of the government begin with this basic requirement. She indicated that women who live outside the major cities should be able to use the same technologies that are used elsewhere in the country. By linking access with training, the message makes clear that the government sees connectivity and skills as two parts of the same effort, since a connection alone does not allow a person to use digital tools without knowing how to apply them.
The minister said that rural women are connecting with businesses around the world through e-commerce under the Digital Pakistan vision. She added that IT and social applications are helping them earn a respectable living from home. This statement points to a model of work in which women can take part in the economy without leaving their houses, which is relevant in areas where travel for employment may not be easy. E-commerce and social applications allow them to reach buyers and business partners in other places, and the minister presented these tools as a practical source of income for women who live in rural parts of the country.
Shaza Fatima Khawaja said that digital literacy and technology training for rural women are among the top priorities of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication. The International Day of Rural Women was established by the United Nations to recognize the role of rural women in agriculture, rural development and food security, and it gives governments an occasion to draw attention to their needs. In her message, the minister used the occasion to restate the commitment of the ministry to digital literacy and training for women in rural areas, and to the use of the internet, e-commerce and social applications as means of earning a livelihood from home under the Digital Pakistan vision.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
