Summary Punjab govt and Google to offer free IT courses to 100,000 students, expand scholarships, set KPIs and launch new facilities as CM Maryam Nawaz unveils major education reforms.
LAHORE (Dunya News) - Google has made a major announcement for students in Punjab, while Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also unveiled significant initiatives.
In a special meeting chaired by Maryam Nawaz in Lahore, several key decisions were taken to improve the province’s education system, including scholarships, free IT courses and provision of modern facilities for students.
It was decided that with the support of Google, more than 100,000 students in Punjab will receive free certification courses, with fees ranging from $400 to $1,000. These courses will cover modern fields such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and business intelligence, with durations of three to six months.
The Chief Minister also approved the establishment of modern IT labs in 166 government colleges across the province as part of a standardization initiative. Additionally, for the first time, performance indicators (KPIs) will be set for principals, teachers and institutions, and vice chancellors of public universities will also be evaluated under these benchmarks.
The Honhaar Scholarship Programme was expanded, with approval granted to award scholarships to 62,949 students simultaneously for the first time in Punjab’s history. The Chief Minister directed that all eligible students should receive scholarships without discrimination, with billions of rupees allocated in phases for the programme.
Furthermore, 36 commerce colleges in 29 districts will be affiliated with 19 public universities, offering 14 BS programmes including business, accounting, finance, banking, IT and e-commerce.
The Chief Minister also approved an electric bus facility for students and directed that special and minority students be included on open merit in the second phase of the laptop scheme. More than 38,000 students benefited in the first phase, while 142,000 applications have been received for the second phase.
Reviewing academic performance, it was shared that 994,000 students appeared in Grade 8 assessment exams, with a 92 percent success rate among female students and 84 percent among male students. The Chief Minister expressed satisfaction over female students securing the top three positions.
On the occasion, Maryam Nawaz also directed authorities to take urgent measures to improve educational institutions in Sargodha and other areas.
