Islamabad: Staff members of both public and private educational institutions in the Islamabad Capital Territory have been directed by the respective regulators to complete mandatory cybersecurity and digital safety training by March 8 in compliance with the prime minister’s directive to strengthen institutional digital resilience.
The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, in collaboration with Cisco Networking Academy, has launched a nationwide capacity-building initiative to enhance cybersecurity awareness and safe digital practices among education sector staff members and students.
According to separate notifications issued by the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and the Islamabad Capital Territory Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (ICT-PEIRA), all teaching and non-teaching staff using computers, official email systems, digital platforms or Android/iOS devices for institutional work must complete the prescribed online training before the March 8 deadline.
According to regulators, the initiative comes amid "growing cybersecurity risks", including hacking attempts, data breaches and vulnerabilities linked to the rapid expansion of digital platforms and artificial intelligence in administrative and academic operations. Institutions have also been directed to ensure that students from Grade 9 onwards are enrolled and their accounts activated by March 8. Students will be able to complete the assigned courses after final examinations or during summer vacation.
Heads of public institutions were instructed by FDE to circulate the guidelines, ensure timely registration, monitor course completion and maintain records of training certificates for compliance reporting.
Public institutions are required to submit compliance reports by March 9. Similarly, ICT-PEIRA advised private schools in the federal capital to ensure strict compliance with the directive on a top-priority basis.
