ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has launched Pakistan Education Endowment Fund worth Rs14 billion and reforms in National Curriculum.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Islamabad on Wednesday, the premier said a budget of three billion rupees has been earmarked this fiscal year for the endowment fund to equip the youth with education and make them builders of the nation.
He also clarified that this budget would not go into the endowment fund this year but directly to the youth in the form of scholarships.
Shehbaz said he wants to see the allocation of Pakistan Education Endowment Fund increasing to Rs140 billion in the next 10 years saying it is only through promotion of education, the country can be taken forward on the path of progress and development.
He recalled that Punjab Education Endowment Fund was established back in 2008 which provided scholarships to four hundred and fifty thousand students.
وزیراعظم شہباز شریف کا قومی نصاب میں اصلاحات کا آغاز، آئینِ پاکستان اور کمپیوٹر کوڈنگ کی قومی نصاب میں شمولیت کر دی گئی۔ pic.twitter.com/i9aNVR1Ytx
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) July 12, 2023
Terming the promotion of education as a sacred duty, the Prime Minister said special focus should be given to the areas which lag behind in development.
“We have to focus on education which is meaningful and has relevance with the modern-day requirements to better compete with the world,” the PM was quoted by Radio Pakistan as saying.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif distributed scholarship cheques among high-achieving students on a merit basis under the Pakistan Endowment Fund for Education in Islamabad today. pic.twitter.com/K7F2hULWgT
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) July 12, 2023
In his remarks on the occasion, Minister for Education Rana Tanveer Hussain said that scholarships under the endowment fund will be given in various disciplines including nursing, engineering and social sciences.
The minister further said that incorporation of Constitution of Pakistan in the syllabus is an important milestone saying this will promote understanding amongst the youth about their rights and responsibilities.
