ISLAMABAD: (Staff Reporter) – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday formally launched a nationwide initiative to distribute 500,000 Chromebooks equipped with MiFi internet connectivity among deserving students and high achievers on merit, aiming to expand access to digital education across Pakistan.
Addressing the launch ceremony in Islamabad, the prime minister said equipping young people with modern education and technology was a key government responsibility and essential to building a prosperous Pakistan. He announced that the Chromebooks would be distributed among deserving students over the next two years.
Shehbaz emphasised that poverty should not prevent young people from pursuing higher education. He said the initiative would benefit students from diverse educational backgrounds, including mainstream schools and religious seminaries, enabling them to access e-libraries and other digital learning resources.
Recalling previous educational initiatives, the prime minister said a government led by Nawaz Sharif had distributed 600,000 laptops nationwide over a decade, with merit remaining the guiding principle.
He thanked Tokyo Technology and the Care Foundation for partnering in the Chromebook initiative, saying access to digital tools would help Pakistani students compete internationally.
The prime minister also highlighted the expansion of educational infrastructure, noting that a Daanish School had recently been inaugurated in Islamabad, while 27 additional campuses were under construction across the country. These institutions are intended to provide modern facilities and quality education.
To illustrate the programme’s merit-based approach, Shehbaz shared the stories of high-achieving students who had overcome difficult circumstances, including Syed Shams Raza, who lives in an orphanage and whose father was a martyr, and Alma Mahak Sabir, a student from a madrassah. Both students later received Chromebooks at the ceremony.
The prime minister said the initiative’s internet connectivity component could extend its benefits beyond students to their families, potentially reaching an estimated 2.5 million people.
He also recalled the role of laptops distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying they helped students continue their education and enabled people to earn a livelihood during a difficult period.
Federal Minister for Federal Education Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the government was working to strengthen Pakistan’s position internationally by adapting to changing educational needs. He stressed that transforming the country’s approximately 150 million young people into a productive national asset was essential to turning its youth population into an engine of progress.
Tokyo Technology Care Foundation Chairman Rashid Minhas said the memorandum of understanding signed with the government aimed to empower students to become creators in the digital world and contribute to a nationwide digital transformation.
Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan praised the initiative, highlighting its focus on recognising young talent with support from overseas Pakistanis. He said the programme represented an important step towards modernising education and providing opportunities for young people in technology and innovation.
The ceremony was attended by federal ministers, parliamentarians, the speaker of the Punjab Assembly, educationists, university vice chancellors, ambassadors and other foreign guests.
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