Poor children getting higher education scholarships: Shahbaz

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has announced to enhance annual amount of Punjab Educational Endowment Fund (PEEF) from Rs2 billion to Rs4 billion and said that educational scholarships would be given to 200,000 deserving talented students during the next one year.
The chief minister announced giving scholarships for MSc to talented students belonging to Fata on merit basis under the PEEF and said that provision of resources for equipping the sons and daughters of the nation with education was not an expense but a useful investment for the bright future of the nation. He said that he would not rest until every boy and girl of the country was provided education.
He made this announcement while addressing the function held on achieving the target of provision of educational scholarships to 100,000 students under the PEEF at the Aiwan-e-Iqbal, here on Friday. He said that scholarships had been given to intelligent students of one lakh poor families on merit basis under the PEEF for providing education and the next year, educational scholarships would be given to one lakh more deserving but talented students for which the annual volume of funds was being increased from Rs2 billion to Rs4 billion. He said that not only Punjab but the less-privileged, hardworking and talented students of Sindh, Balochistan, KP, Azad Kashmir, FATA and Gilgit-Baltistan had been included in this splendid programme which was promoting national solidarity.
He said these children were sons and daughters of labourers, Madrassa teachers, sweepers, farmers dyers, etc, and not scions of the elite.
He said that if all units of Pakistan would progress, then the country would progress and in view of this purpose, all units of the country had been included in educational programmes of Punjab. He said that one lakh students got scholarships under the PEEF and Rs5.610 billion had been distributed among them from the income of this fund. He said the doors of higher education had been opened for the talented students facing financial constraints through the PEEF and today’s impressive ceremony had not been held in the honour of the children of elite but in recognition of hard work. He said that such PEEF scholars were in the ceremony who were born to poor families and got higher education through the PEEF. He said that millions of children like PEEF scholars Nasir Mehmood, Saba Safdar and Irfan Samuel were in the country who had the the desire of getting education but poverty had hindered their education. The chief minister said that China had become the second biggest military and economic power of the world due to hardworking and continuous struggle and its foreign reserves were $4 trillion whereas it had achieved an average 9.9 percent growth rate during the last 30 years and had brought 500 million people out of poverty. He said the Chinese development was famous in the world whereas after completing 68 years of our freedom, we are still only making promises of steering the country out of poverty, ignorance and unemployment. “We mention the sayings of Quaid and Iqbal but do not act upon them and the nations which took practical steps are now touching the heights of development.” He said Pakistan is rich in resources and despite hardworking farmers and the nation, Pakistan is still lagging behind in development, which is a matter of concern for us.”
Shahbaz Sharif thanked PEEF Vice-Chairman Dr Amjad Saqib, Provincial Minister for Education Rana Mashhood, Secretary Education, Justice (R) Aamir Raza and PEEF Board of Directors on educational endowment fund.
Earlier, PEEF Vice-Chairman Dr Amjad Saqib said today is a historic day when the target of one lakh scholarships has been achieved under the PEEF. He said that intelligent children of the poor families are getting education in LUMS, NUST, FAST, GC and other local and foreign prestigious educational institutions through this fund. He said that Shahbaz Sharif had done a historic job by setting up the PEEF, due to which no poor but talented child would be deprived of education.
He said Shahbaz Sharif is a kind-hearted and education-friendly chief minister and has written a new history by setting up PEEF. Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran said that PEEF had brought a revolution in education. Ms. Judith Herbertson of UK Aid said that PEEF was playing a very important role in the promotion of education and the UK would continue its cooperation with Punjab for promotion of education. She said that efforts of Punjab government for promotion of education were commendable and due to dynamic leadership of Shahbaz Sharif, the education sector had improved considerably in Punjab.
She congratulated Shahbaz Sharif on setting up PEEF. She said the Punjab government had started an excellent programme of “Parho Punjab—Barho Punjab” which would leave a positive impact on the education sector.