It is quite commendable to note that the Prime Minister’s Fee Reimbursement Scheme , one of the initiatives under flagship of the federal government for youth empowerment Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, is continuing successfully during 2018 also.
PM Fee Reimbursement Scheme is offering its services to almost 114 less developed districts of Pakistan and around 108036 students are benefitting from the scheme with scholarships worth Rs 5 billion, under this scheme the students get a waiver of full tuition fee, registration fee, admission fee, library charges and laboratory charges along with other educational expenses.
According to the reports in the newspapers, an amount of Rs 7.5 billion has till been reimbursed to around 149695 students belonging to less-developed districts of the country .
It is appreciable that the prime minister has set the list of specific regions that are eligible for this fee reimbursement scheme which include Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, FATA, Interior Sindh and Southern Punjab. Students from other districts of Punjab including Khushab, Mianwali, Attock, Bhakkar and that of Khyber Pukhtoonkhwah including Chitral, Lower Dir, Malakand, Kohistan, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, Battgram, Torghar, Kohat, Karak and Bannu besides refugees of Azad Jammu and Kashmir have also been included in the scheme.
Reports further said that domicile holders of above-mentioned districts are eligible to benefit from this scheme provided they get admission in the public sector universities duly recognized by the Higher Education Commission located in those under-developed areas of the country.
It is worth commendable that under the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, mainstreaming of the youth which currently form about 28 per cent of total population of Pakistan is being done through education, skill development, entrepreneurship , training, employment, engagement and empowerment besides sports and recreational facilities and pretty large number of students are benefitting under these initiatives.
MUHAMMAD MURTAZA ZEESHAN,
Lahore, March 12.