Govt Launches Rs. 4 Billion Scholarship Program for Talented Needy Students

Under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s initiative, the Ministry of Education launched a Rs4 billion scholarship program to support talented students in need across Pakistan.

To enhance education standards in Islamabad, the Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training (MFEPT) allocated Rs 8.5 billion for improving facilities in both rural and urban areas. This project, “Provision of Basic Educational Facilities in Educational Institutions of ICT,” aims to be completed by June 30, 2025.

Secretary MFEPT Mohyudin Wani detailed that the ministry’s total PSDP portfolio is Rs8.5 billion, with Rs5.4 billion dedicated to basic education and Rs3.1 billion to technical education. Additionally, a Rs4 billion Pakistan Education Endowment Fund (PEEF) has been created for underprivileged students, with Rs800 million specifically allocated for Balochistan.

The Ministry is also implementing the World Bank-funded “Actions to Strengthen Performance for Inclusive and Responsive Education Programme (ASPIRE),” running from July 2020 to June 2025. ASPIRE focuses on improving education in disadvantaged districts through federal-provincial performance-based grants.

Key interventions in Islamabad under ASPIRE include:

• IT Labs: Establishing IT labs in 50 secondary boys’ schools in rural areas to prepare students for higher education and careers in tech.
• Smart Classrooms: Creating 140 smart classrooms in public schools to enhance multimodal learning through technology and digital content.
• eTaleem Portal and TeleSchool Application: Launching these platforms to promote learning for students and teachers.
• TeleSchool Web Portal: Providing high-quality educational content through OTT channels and a broadcast content library.
• Learning Materials: Distributing textbooks and Accelerated Learning Program resources to non-formal education centers, especially to support girls’ education. So far, 528,647 books have been printed.
• Hygiene Kits: Distributing hygiene kits to 20 public schools in rural areas as part of the Government’s Hygiene Initiative.