Scholarships to be given to 200,000 students under PEEF: Shahbaz Sharif

Scholarships to be given to 200,000 students under PEEF: Shahbaz Sharif

CM says doors of higher education had been opened for talented students facing financial constraints through PEEF

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday announced to enhance an annual amount of Punjab Educational Endowment Fund (PEEF) from Rs two billion to Rs four billion.


Addressing a function on achieving the target of provision of educational scholarship to 100,000 boy and girl students under PEEF at Aiwan-e-Iqbal, here, he said that educational scholarships would be given to 200,000 deserving talented boy and girl students during the next one year. The chief minister also announced to give scholarships to MSc talented boy and girl students belonging to FATA on merit basis under PEEF and added that provision of resources for equipping the sons and daughters of the nation with education was not expenses but a useful investment for the bright future of the nation.


The chief minister said that he would not rest-content till every boy and girl of Pakistan was provided education. Shehbaz said that scholarships had been given to intelligent boy and girl students of 100,000 poor families on merit basis under PEEF for providing education and the next year, educational scholarships would be given to 100,000 more deserving but talented boy and girl students for which the annual volume of educational fund was being increased from Rs two billion to Rs four billion.


He said that not only Punjab but the less-privileged but hardworking and talented male and female students of Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, FATA and Gilgit-Baltistan had been included in this splendid programme of provision of scholarships which was promoting national solidarity. The chief minister said that if all units of Pakistan would progress, then Pakistan would progress and in view of this purpose, all units of the country had been included in educational programmes of Punjab.


He said that 100,000 sons and daughters of the nation had got educational scholarships under PEEF and Rs 5610 million had been distributed among intelligent students from the income of this fund of billions of rupees. He said that the doors of higher education had been opened for the talented students facing financial constraints through PEEF and today’s impressive ceremony had not been held in honour of the children of elite but in recognition of hard work. He said that such PEEF scholars were in the ceremony who born in poor families and got higher education through PEEF.


He said that these PEEF scholars were representing to those millions of Pakistani children instead of landlords, investors, politicians, judges, generals and senior officials whose parents despite difficult situation equipped their children with education and they were such great Pakistanis whose motto was hardworking, trust and honesty. He said that these great people had been deprived of their rights since creation of Pakistan and the elite had snatched their right but Punjab government had provided them this right through PEEF and, no doubt, PEEF was the materialisation of the dream of Quaid and Iqbal in the real sense.


Shehbaz said that millions of children like PEEF scholars Nasir Mehmood, Saba Safdar and Irfan Samuel were in Pakistan who had the desire of getting education but the poverty was hurdle in getting education and the doors of quality education were closed for them. This is not the reason that they were not intelligent and hardworking but they had no resources for getting education, he added. He said that the Punjab government had set up biggest education endowment fund in the history of the world for such intelligent students through which opportunities had been provided for talented girl and boy students of poor families to get education in local and foreign prestigious educational institutions.


Mentioning the progress of China, the chief minister said that China had become the second big military and economic power of the world due to hardworking and continuous struggle and its foreign reserves were four trillion dollars whereas it had achieved average 9.9 per cent growth rate during last 30 years and had brought 50 crore people out of poverty. “Now Chinese development is 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,” he said. “We mention sayings of Quaid and Iqbal but do not act upon,” the chief minister said and added that those nations which took practical steps were now touching the heights of development.


The chief minister said, “Pakistan is rich in resources and despite hardworking farmers and the nation, the country is still lagged behind the development which is a matter of pondering for us.” Shehbaz said, “We have started development journey under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and this caravan will march forward through PEEF scholars and we will achieve our destiny.” Referring to the cooperation of DFID in education, health and other sectors, the chief minister said, “DFID is extending full cooperation in skill development, education and health sectors, upon which, we are thankful to it”. “The DFID is our partner in PEEF and is aware of our transparency and merit policy and knows that this educational fund is also free from any political interference,” he said. “The unconditional aid given by our friends is acceptable to us but conditional aid is not acceptable,” he said.


The chief minister said that the cooperation of DFID in the programme of provision of scholarship was also unconditional. Shahbaz thanked PEEF Vice Chairman Dr Amjad Saqib, Provincial Minister for Education Rana Mashhood, Secretary Education Justice (retired) Aamir Raza and PEEF Board of Directors with regard to educational endowment fund and said that if these people did not cooperate, his efforts did not bear fruit. He said that they would change the destiny of Pakistan and the nation jointly and remove darkness of ignorance from the motherland.


Earlier, PEEF vice chairman, addressing the function said that today was a historic day when the target of 100,000 scholarships had been achieved under PEEF. He said that seven years ago, this programme was started and thousands of talented children were benefiting from this fund. He said that the promise and commitment made by the chief minister had been fulfilled and PEEF had become the biggest fund of the country. He said intelligent children of poor families were getting education in LUMS, NUST, FAST, GC and other local and foreign prestigious educational institutions through this fund.


He said that the chief minister had done a historic job by setting up PEEF. He added that Chief Minister Shahbaz was a kindhearted and education-friendly chief minister and had written a new history by setting up PEEF. State Minister for Education Balighur Rehman, Higher Education Punjab Chairman Dr Nizamuddin, provincial ministers, members national and provincial assemblies, columnists, intellectuals, educationists, PEEF scholars, their parents, vice chancellors of universities, teachers and people belonging to all segments of society attended the function.