The INIT in joint collaboration with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), and COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), convened the 2 Day International Workshop on ‘Applications of ICTs in Education, Healthcare and Agriculture’, in Islamabad, on December 15 – 16, 2014 Islamabad – Pakistan. The venue of the Workshop was COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad.

The inaugural session of the event was held on December 15, 2014. Over 50 scholars, researchers, subject-experts and academicians from Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Senegal, Sudan, and Tanzania participated in the workshop that was aimed at highlighting the potential of ICTs in revolutionizing various sectors of the economy.

In all 17 presentations were made in the three thematic sessions of the workshop spread over two days, which focused on the applications of ICTs in Education, Healthcare and Agriculture. Deliberations focused on the different ways of building competitiveness amid growing challenges of globalization and rapid technological advancements. The presenters shared their experiences and expertise in the light of their successful projects and initiatives in their respective countries.

The presentations made during the first technical session ‘ICTs in Education’ focused on ICTs for modern skill acquisition; diffusion of ICTs in early schooling; digital watermarking system for e-Education; monitoring and learning education scenarios in Senegal; and persuasive techniques for effective education. Deliberations on the use of mobile phone technology for healthcare; COMSATS Tele-health project; Tanzanian Tele-health case study; Dengue monitoring in Pakistan; as well as psychotherapy through digitization, were made during the second technical session titled ‘ICTs in Healthcare’. While on the second day, the participant of the workshop benefited from technical deliberations focusing on decision support system for agriculture; digital soil mapping of newly reclaimed areas for agricultural uses in Egypt; irrigation optimization for improving crop production; use of agriculture research management information system in Bangladesh, as well as the various ICT applications in agriculture in Sudan.

The event concluded on December 16, 2014, on the note of commitment to exploit the full potential of ICTs for improving the day-to-day life of a common man in the developing world. In the 2 days session, the representatives from 28 institutions arrived in the workshop from 9 countries.

Participating Countries

The workshop was participated by Resource Persons and participants from the following 9 countries:

1. Arab Republic of Egypt
2. Islamic Republic of Iran
3. Islamic Republic of Pakistan
4. Hashemite Kingdom of Jordon
5. Kingdom of Morocco
6. People's Republic of Bangladesh
7. Republic of Senegal
8. Republic of the Sudan
9. United Republic of Tanzania

Participating Institutions

The Resource Persons and participants from the following 28 institutions participated in the Workshop:

1. Royal Scientific Society (RSS), Jordan
2. Lab 4 Net, Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco
3. University Alioune, Senegal
4. Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST), Iran
5. ICT Technology Development, Tanzania
6. National Research Centre, Egypt
7. Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Bangladesh
8. Industrial Research and Consultancy Centre (IRCC), Sudan
9. Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South, (COMSATS Headquarters), Islamabad, Pakistan
10. COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
11. COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Virtual Campus, Islamabad, Pakistan
12. COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Wah, Pakistan
13. COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, Pakistan
14. National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
15. PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
16. National Agricultural Research Center (NARC), Islamabad, Pakistan
17. University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Jhang, Pakistan
18. University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan
19. Centre of Advance Research in Engineering, Pakistan
20. G.C University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
21. International Islamic University, Islamabad,
22. Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST), Islamabad, Pakistan
23. Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), Islamabad, Pakistan
24. Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Islamabad, Pakistan
25. Agriculture Policy Institute, Faisalabad, Pakistan
26. Soil Fertility Survey & Soil Testing Institute, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
27. Pakistan Science Foundation, Islamabad, Pakistan
28. Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), Islamabad, Pakistan