Are computer science graduates up to the mark?

The perception that few among the 35,000-odd computer science graduates the country produces every year are actually skilled was reinforced on Saturday at +92Disrupt, a two-day startup and technology conference held by Katalyst Labs. The CEO of one of the country’s largest software houses made a 30-minute presentation to drive home a single point: computer science programmes run by Pakistani universities of all stripes are doing a job that’s hardly enviable. “Universities are focused on everything except teaching the foundation of computer science,” said Yasser Bashir, who co-founded and leads Arbisoft, a prominent software house that employs over 1,000 people and hires on average 50-100 fresh computer science graduates every year. His insights aren’t anecdotal. Since 2016, Arbisoft has conducted a nationwide exam simultaneously to hire top-of-the-shelf fresh graduates from all universities that teach computer science in Pakistan. In 2023 alone, the software company received interest from 7,000 fresh graduates from 144 universities across the country. After a basic screening process, about 4,000 people took at the same time the 19-minute test that had 30 questions.