PM launches scheme to distribute 500,000 Chromebooks to students
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 launch 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 PML-N government under Nawaz Sharif had successfully distributed 600,000 laptops nationwide over a decade, maintaining a strict commitment to merit-based distribution.
The prime minister underscored that poverty should not hamper the country’s youth from getting higher education and announced that these Chromebooks would be distributed among the 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.
During his address, 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, the prime minister 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.