FAISALABAD - As many as 10,077 laptops have been distributed to talented students and position-holders of different educational institutions of Faisalabad in the 4th phase of the Punjab Chief Minister's Laptop Scheme.
In this connection, a graceful ceremony was held at Iqbal Auditorium of Agriculture University. Punjab Minister for Higher Education Syed Raza Ali Gilani and Punjab Minister for Schools Education Rana Mashhood Ahmad were the chief guests.
Deputy Commissioner Salman Ghani, Agriculture University, GC University and GC Women University vice chancellors Dr Iqbal Zafar, Dr Muhammad Ali Shah and Prof Dr Noureen Aziz Qureshi respectively and others were also present.
A large number of students participated in the ceremony. Right from the beginning of the ceremony, the guard of honour was presented to the talented students by the active contingent of police. The students of different schools presented national songs during the ceremony.
A documentary film was also shown on big screen regarding the distribution and importance of laptops. Addressing the participants, Punjab Minister for Higher Education Syed Raza Ali Gilani congratulated the recipients of the laptops.
He said that the distribution of laptops and other awards was the reorganisation of their talent. He said laptops were being given to the talented students of different classes purely on merit which was a significant tool for attaining the access on modern and latest knowledge through information technology to meet the challenges.
The minister said that 310,000 laptops had been distributed in three phases and now 115,000 laptops of latest model and technology were being distributed to the students in the 4th phase at a cost of Rs7 billion.
He said that there was no lack of talent in Pakistani youth but there was a need to provide opportunities to the youngsters for showing their capabilities in their fields. He said that the world recognised the degree of Pakistani engineers and Pakistan was on 19th number in the world in the engineering education. He said that there was a need to divert the thinking with regards to the development and progress to rule the world.
He said that planning was being made to introduce the undergraduate courses at college level while universities would be specified for the research in different fields of education.
Addressing the ceremony, Punjab Minister for Schools Education Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan saluted the talented students, and said that the goal of the development would not be achieved without imparting the nation with education. He appreciated the education vision of CM Shehbaz Sharif. He said that exemplary and revolutionary policies had been introduced for the encouragement of the talented students and strengthening the education sector.
Greeting the recipients of the laptops, the minister said that Punjab government had provided equal opportunities for the students to excel and the child of labourer was also achieving laptop and scholarship on merit basis by virtue of these transparent and revolutionary policies.
He said that the Punjab chief minister started according guard of honour to the talented students which was only specified for the dignitaries. The minister said that the credit went to CM Punjab Shehbaz Sharif for eliminating cheating mafia in the examinations. A transparent examination system was introduced through the revolutionary reforms and the real talent had been emerged due to these measures, he said.
He added that the Punjab CM introduced Punjab Education Endowment Fund for providing scholarships and now no students would be deprived of getting education due to financial constraints.
He said that the Education Endowment Fund was started from the funds of Rs2 billion and now it had been raised up to Rs21 billion and more than 350,000 students were beneficiaries of the fund.
Rana Mashhood said that laptops were also being distributed to the talented students of KPK, Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan provinces.
He also highlighted the development made by the present govt in the country, and said that now progress was the fate of the country so as present govt had steered Pakistan out of the problems. It had been put on the path to progress now, he said..
He said that PML-N government had established a number of power plants to get rid of loadshedding and the mega project of the CPEC was the future of Pakistan for rapid socio economic development.
He emphasised upon the students for attaining command on the knowledge and modern technology to serve the country with full confidence and responsibilities. On the occasion, the students Liaba Fatima and Khurram Saeed of GC University expressed their sentiments about the laptops scheme.
They said it was a great step to equip the students with information technology. They also appreciated the other educational friendly policies of the Punjab CM.