WEB DESK: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Thursday said the Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence would provide world-class education to underprivileged students equipped with modern facilities, including IT laboratories and libraries, while encouraging students to remain politically aware so they can make informed decisions in the future.

Speaking at the launch of the Punjab government’s education reforms, the chief minister said the Schools of Eminence would become model institutions and would eventually be established in every tehsil of the province. She said the government was undertaking comprehensive reforms to modernise the education sector and improve learning standards across Punjab.

Maryam said the government aimed to bridge the gap between public and private educational institutions by upgrading government schools with facilities comparable to those available in private schools. She added that teachers serving in the Schools of Eminence would receive international-standard training to improve the quality of education.

Criticising previous governments for neglecting the education sector, she said Punjab currently has 49,000 schools, of which 10,000 have already been upgraded. She added that the provincial government had allocated the highest education budget in Punjab’s history to strengthen the sector.

The chief minister announced that students from low-income families would receive iPads and laptops, while 100,000 electric bikes would be distributed to students across the province. She said male students would pay a down payment of Rs15,000, whereas female students would receive the bikes without any down payment.

“If parents cannot afford educational expenses for their daughters, Maryam Nawaz will bridge that gap,” she said.

Maryam also announced that 300 Nawaz Sharif Schools were being established across Punjab, with plans to expand them to every tehsil. She said deserving students would continue to receive Honhaar scholarships for higher education, while 500,000 women were being provided vocational training to promote economic empowerment.

She added that youth seeking employment opportunities abroad had been provided professional training along with financial assistance of Rs300,000.

Referring to the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections, Maryam urged voters to support the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, saying political issues should be resolved through constitutional means. She pledged development projects across AJK and vowed not to allow anyone to disrupt peace in the region.

Highlighting infrastructure projects, the chief minister said modern markets, roads, parks and sanitation facilities were being developed throughout Punjab. She urged citizens to maintain cleanliness by avoiding littering and taking care of public transport facilities.

Maryam said the provincial government was constructing 200,000 houses under the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar scheme, with around 700 homes being built daily. She announced plans to expand the programme to 500,000 houses while offering soft loans of up to Rs500,000 for roof repairs and up to Rs1 million for building three-room houses, repayable over nine years.

She further said 30,000 families were being provided agricultural land on lease for Rs100 annually, while young farmers could obtain up to five acres of land at subsidised rates under the Apna Khet Apna Rozgar scheme.

The chief minister added that Punjab was constructing 40,000 kilometres of roads, expanding metro bus services to Faisalabad and Gujranwala, and would also build what she described as Pakistan’s first state-of-the-art hospital.