Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday formally launched a nationwide initiative to distribute 500,000 Chromebooks, equipped with MiFi internet connectivity, to deserving students and high achievers based strictly on merit. Addressing the launching ceremony, the prime minister emphasised that equipping the country's youth with modern education and technology is a core government responsibility and the key to building a prosperous Pakistan.
Highlighting the initiative's inclusivity, he noted that laptops are being provided to students from diverse educational backgrounds, including mainstream schools and madaris, based solely on talent and hard work, helping them access e-libraries and pursue quality education. Recalling past educational initiatives, the prime minister added that the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government under Nawaz Sharif had successfully distributed 600,000 laptops nationwide over a decade, maintaining a strict commitment to merit-based distribution.
He underscored that poverty should not hamper the country's youth from getting higher education and announced that these Chromebooks would be distributed among deserving students within two years. He stressed that empowering the nation's youth with modern tools is vital to helping them compete globally, while expressing gratitude to Tokyo Technology and the Care Foundation for partnering in the Chromebook initiative.
The prime minister highlighted the expansion of educational infrastructure, noting the recent inauguration of a Daanish School in Islamabad alongside 27 other campuses currently under construction nationwide, designed to offer state-of-the-art facilities and curricula. To underscore the merit-based nature of the programme, he shared inspiring stories of top achievers overcoming adversity, including Syed Shams Raza, a student living in an orphanage whose father was a martyr, and Alma Mahak, a dedicated student from a madrassah.
He recalled that previous laptop schemes had also successfully reached prominent religious seminaries. Expressing confidence in the initiative's broad impact, the prime minister noted that the scheme's internet connectivity features will extend benefits to family members, ultimately reaching an estimated 2.5 million people.
He also recalled how laptops distributed during the Covid-19 pandemic served as a crucial lifeline for students to continue their education and earn a livelihood. The event was attended by ministers, parliamentarians, the Punjab Assembly speaker, educationists, vice-chancellors, ambassadors and foreign guests.
Addressing the ceremony, Federal Minister for Federal Education Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui emphasised that the government is striving to elevate Pakistan's global standing by adapting to evolving educational trends. He noted that transforming the country's 150 million youth into a productive national asset is crucial to ensuring the youth bulge drives progress rather than becoming a challenge.
Tokyo Technology Care Foundation Chairman Rashid Minhas spoke about the partnership, stating that the memorandum signed with the government aims to empower students to become creators in the digital world and spur a national digital revolution. PM's Youth Programme Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmad praised the prime minister's vision for recognising young talent with the support of the overseas diaspora, reiterating that the initiative marks a major milestone in Pakistan's digital transformation.