By Our Correspondent
LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif launched Pakistan’s biggest Honhaar scholarship at Punjab University. She formally inaugurated the Honhaar scholarship scheme by distributing cheques among the students. She also launched an e-portal for Honhaar scholarship scheme. Students who receive Honhaar scholarships will be able to receive scholarships on the e-portal. She also announced foreign scholarships for students.
She directed to launch laptop scheme for students in January and further directed to undertake steps to provide additional e-bikes to students. A smart police contingent presented a guard of honor to the students getting Honhaar scholarships.
The Chief Minister while addressing the launching of Honhaar scholarship said, “Honhaar scholarship is a recognition of students’ abilities. Giving students a guard of honor recognizes their hard work. Today I am addressing the children not as the Chief Minister but as a mother. No one can be more happier than me today for the children getting scholarships. Students are my foremost priority than their parents. I think of every child of Punjab as a mother and not as a CM. Honhaar scholarship marks the start of a bright of children. No child of Punjab will be deprived of education due to lack of financial resources after getting admission in the university. I deem education of children as my responsibility more than their parents.”
She said, “70 thousand students applied for Honhaar scholarship. 30 thousand students are being given scholarships. I do not want even a single day of break in the education of children. That’s why, I ensured implementation of the scholarship scheme within 9 months. Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat, Secretary Higher Education Dr. Farrukh Naveed worked hard with a great amount of dedication and made the Honhaar Scholarship Scheme successfull. For the first time, the scholarship scheme includes students from private and government universities. Admission of talented students to a good university is my dream and responsibility as well. I felt pleased to hear that 18,000 female students are among those for receiving scholarships. The female students remain deprived of opportunities due to social restrictions, but now they will move forward.”
She added, “32 percent of the students from South Punjab are among those who have received scholarships. Scholarships are not a favor to anyone, it is your right to live your life with pride and move forward. This is not a beginning of the scholarship scheme but a beginning of a new era of development and a bright future. Parents work hard day and night for their children, but sometimes they are unable to meet their expenses of education. Now the government will bear this burden. I believe that there is no better empowerment and investment than knowledge. The focus of my entire attention is students, youth and their future.”
CM Punjab said, “Students may belong to any party, we will give them Scholarships without any discrimination. Only merit prevails in Punjab, even appointments in district administration and police are being made purely on merit. I can say on oath that not a single appointment has been made against merit during previous 10 months. We want to improve the quality of education and curriculum. We will provide best quality education before the expiry of out tenure in 5 years. The Punjab government will establish campuses of major foreign educational institutions in the Nawaz Sharif IT City. Giving scholarships for foreign universities is quite expensive, but imparting foreign education to our children is our foremost priority. If a child gets admission in a foreign university, then the Punjab government will bear the entire expense.”
She added, “For the first time, we have started internships in different departments at Rs 60,000 per month. It is also our responsibility to provide employment opportunities to the children after getting education. If they work in Pakistan with full energy and ability, then Pakistan will make immense progress. If the youth contribute their part in the progress of Pakistan then Pakistan will move forward rapidly. I want my children to get a respectable degree so that they do not have to move out of their country for seeking a better employment. I want to give loans up to Rs. one crore to my children for doing their business after getting their degrees.”
She said, “A politician is not recognized by high positions or making a good speech, but is reflected by serving the people. Money is a trust of the people, we want to spend it on their well-being. The previous governments could spend public money on the welfare of the people, but they failed to do so. I will fulfill every promise and announcement which I make as I am a daughter of Nawaz Sharif. Allah Almighty has blessed us with immense resources and the amount of hard work which people do abroad, if they do the same in Pakistan, they can make Pakistan a paradise. My heart felt over overwhelmed with emotions when I listened to the children about their problems. Youth depicts the real face of Pakistan and those holding rifles, guns and sticks in their hands do not present the face of Pakistan.”
She added, “How would I want my son Junaid to have a stick with nails in his hand? No mother would want her son having petrol bombs and stones in his hand. I felt profound sorrow and grief to witness police and rangers personnel admitted in CMH Rawalpindi. The police and Rangers was badly injured and undergoind treatment in CMH Rawalpindi. If this attack and arson gives a positive message, then their own children should come forward and participate. Their own children are safe and have left the children of the nation at the mercy of facing misery.”
The Chief Minister said, “The President of Belarus visited Pakistan and he should have paid a visit to a University, should have met the children but he left after seeing smoke and shelling. When my son Junaid graduated with a degree, I felt overjoyed to meet him. If children indulge into abuse and fighting then their degree will be of no utility. I advise children not to put at stake the respect of their parents and respect their teachers as well. I want to create opportunities for every child of Punjab to move forward. The children should also fulfil their obligation to their dear homeland and the nation as we do so. The children should contribute to the progress and prosperity of the country instead of becoming miscreants. I also took a promise from the children not to harm Pakistan.”
She expressed her profound affection to the child who recited the Holy Quran at the ceremony. The Musical Society Group of GC University presented the national anthem and Kalam-e-Iqbal. The CM appreciated the students of GCU. Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikander Hayat said that average students of Punjab will become a torchbearer and trend-setter in the society after getting Honhaar scholarships. Tuition fees of Rs. 30,000 students will be paid under Honhaar scholarship scheme.
The appreciation of passion of CM Punjab for the students is highly commendable and such a positive initiative has not been witnessed in the past. Secretary Higher Education Dr. Farrukh Naveed explained details of the Honhaar Scholarship Scheme. Secretary Higher Education apprised that for the first time, students from 15 private universities in Pakistan will also get scholarships. Matriculation and intermediate position holders will also be able to get scholarships.
Hamna Maqsood, a B. Pharmacy student who received Honhaar Scholarship, thanked CM Punjab on behalf of the students. CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif sat among the students at the ceremony. She reached among the students at the end of the ceremony, interacted with them and had pictures with them.
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Provincial ministers, Assembly Members, Vice Chancellor Punjab University Dr. Muhammad Ali, Vice Chancellors of other universities, teachers and a large number of students participated in the ceremony.
