2nd phase of AKF’s Bano Qabil programme to start in April

PESHAWAR: The second phase of Al-Khidmat Foundation’s Bano Qabil programme is set to commence in April in Malakand Division, introducing new courses in IT and online business. The announcement was made by Inayatullah Khan, patron-in-chief of the programme, during a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday.

Al-Khidmat’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president, Khalid Waqas and others were also present on the occasion.

Inayatullah Khan said that an entry test would be conducted in Chakdara for students from Malakand Division who were unable to attend the Bano Qabil test in Peshawar due to travel constraints. “The programme aims to equip students with digital marketing skills and enable them to achieve financial independence through online courses,” he added.

Khalid Waqas highlighted that Bano Qabil, which started in Karachi in 2022, has now become Pakistan’s largest free IT skills programme. Initially launched in Karachi, it later expanded to Lahore, Islamabad, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Currently, 10,000 students are enrolled in four-month-long IT courses across 20 centers in the province, he added.

He further noted the overwhelming response from students in Khyber Pakhtun­khwa, with over 165,000 online registrations and more than 30,000 candidates appearing for the entry test in August 2023, making it the largest entry test in the province’s history.

The programme has received strong support from the government and educational institutions. Various universities and organisations, including the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IT Board, National Commission for Hu­man Development (NCHD), BRT Peshawar, IM Sci­e­nces Peshawar, Qurtuba Uni­versity, Riphah University Chakdara, University of Science and Technology Bannu, and Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Al-Khidmat Foundation to provide their IT labs and campuses for Bano Qabil training.

Inayatullah Khan emphasised that Al-Khidmat Foundation’s goal is to provide free IT training to one million youth across Pakistan within the next five years, including 300,000 students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He expressed confidence that these initiatives would pave the way for an economic transformation in the country.The second phase of the Bano Qabil program will introduce new courses, including digital marketing, e-commerce, graphic design, freelancing, mobile app development, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. A grand convention will be held in April to award certificates to students who complete the first phase of the program. The second phase will then kick off with a new entry test in Chakdara, ensuring accessibility for students across Malakand Division.