Punjab Government to distribute laptops among students again

Lahore: Provincial Minister for Education, Rana Mashud Ahmad Khan has said that steering committee for laptop scheme has approved PC-I of the project of distribution of laptops among girl and boy students during 2015-16 in Punjab. He said that PhD scholars and faculty members of the university will also be included in laptop scheme. Proposal of programme of assembling laptops being given to students up to 2017-18 in Punjab was presented, he added.

He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting regarding the approval of PC-I of laptop scheme during 2015-16, today. The meeting also considered all aspects of the project in detail. Secretary Higher Education Punjab Irfan Ali, CEO Lahore Knowledge Park Shahid Zaman and other concerned officers attended the meeting. Rana Mashhood Ahmed said that merit of previous years will be maintained in the distribution of laptops among girl and boy students according to which students of semester system will receive laptops on 60 percent marks, students of annual examination on 70 percent marks and students of metric on more than 78 percent marks.

He said that number of educational institutions of hotspot will be increased this year in laptop scheme. Steering committee will send changes being made in the proposal of PC-I of laptop scheme to Punjab Information Technology Board for including the decision of the committee in PC-I. He said that steering committee has also approved a suggestion of having a documentary regarding development projects of Punjab government in the laptops being distributed among the students.

The meeting also considered the matter of computer assembling in Punjab by prominent foreign computer manufacturing institutions. According to the proposed agreement, Punjab government will complete all arrangements for setting up of the unit for foreign company during 2015-16 while the company will provide 50 percent of total computers required during 2016-17 and 100 percent during 2017-18. The meeting also discussed in detail all aspects of the proposed agreement.

Meanwhile, Rana Mashud Ahmad Khan presided over a meeting in which a steering committee was constituted for setting up of Gandhara University in Taxila and Chairman Evacuee Property Trust Board Sadiq-al-Farooq will be its chairman. Members of the committee will include Provincial Minister for Education, Chairman Higher Education Commission, Archeology representative and representatives of Local Administration of Taxila. The committee will submit its recommendations regarding establishment of university within one month. Gandhara University is a joint venture of Evacuee Trust Board and HEC Punjab which will be cooperated by Japan, South Korea and China.

Talking to media, Rana Mashud Ahmad Khan and Sadiq-al-Farooq said that Evacuee Trust Board is a federal institution and trying to complete the project of setting up of Gandhara University along with Punjab government. They said that there is great interest among historians, tourists and students of the world about Gandhara civilization. They said that Gandhara University will play an important role in raising the soft image of Pakistan. They said that efforts of Prime Minister and Punjab Chief Minister are speedily dispelling the impression of extremism and intolerance regarding Pakistan. They said that as a nation, we will have to convey a message to the entire world that Muslims have great respect for Gurdawaras, temples and living signs of Buddha and tantamount to international responsibility. They said that the idea of religious tolerance and inter religion harmony is prevailing in Pakistan which is seen at international level.