In July 7th 2023, the first batch of students graduated from the Puntland Institute of Management and Technology (PIMAT) with a Diploma of Secretary and Office Management and Diploma of Information Communication Technology (ICT). PIMAT is higher education institute that built and managed by Stichting KAALO Nederland. PIMAT grants free education to the youth in Puntland in order to mitigate the threats of poverty and unemployment.
The graduated batch of students was 36 in number of which 22 studied ICT whereas the rest 14 studied Secretary and Office Administration. Each of the education programs was a two-year long diploma program. This was the first group of students to graduate from PIMAT since its establishment in 2020.
For the two years these students have been studying in PIMAT, they had access to high quality education that is rarely available in the region. They went to class five days a week and studied three hours a day. Each day, the students took two lectures during which they were extensively taught the courses they studied.
All the teachers and trainers of PIMAT were of the highest quality that could be found in Puntland. We made sure that the teachers were very qualified for the courses they taught. Albeit what we offered was a diploma program, 95% of the lecturers who worked at PIMAT during the course of this program were master’s degree holders. The quality of the teachers and the well-planned curriculum of PIMAT guarantee the credibility of the certificate our students were given as they graduated. It also guarantees that every student that graduated from PIMAT is very capable performing well in his/her job when hired.
In their days in PIMAT, our students had full access to a well-equipped computer lab where they practiced the skills they were taught in class. Nowadays, computer literacy is a prerequisite to almost any job regardless of the field of expertise it originates from. The two diploma programs we offered – ICT and Management – both require practical computer skills, especially the ICT. We made sure that our students were equipped with the right computer skills they will need.
Our students were not only taught lectures while they studied in class, but we also gave them the opportunity to train and practice in the working environment by giving each one of them an internship. All the students that graduated from PIMAT were attached to the local organization and ministries in Garowe. Some of our students got job offers from the companies and organizations they were working with before they even completed their internship period. This sheds a light on the quality of the education they received.
PIMAT for offering better skills to produce a better generation. It also stands for educating the youth especially the underprivileged women to fight poverty, unemployment and social injustice. We shall continue educating an empowering the youth in Puntland until we have made a substantial difference in this area.
