Punjab Honahar Merit Scholarships: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has approved the 'Punjab Honahar Merit Scholarship Program.' Through this initiative, scholarships will be awarded to 25,000 students enrolled in government institutions and eight selected private universities.. The CM directed the authorities to increase the number of scholarships from 4,000 to 25,000.
Chairing a special meeting of the Higher Education Department, the CM said that 100 percent fees of students enrolled in BS programs at government and eight selected private universities would be paid under this scholarship program.
The Chief Minister has directed the immediate establishment of new universities in Jhelum, Vehari, and Bahawalnagar. She reviewed the recommendations for setting up universities through public-private partnerships and agreed to support the private sector in this initiative. Additionally, she ordered the immediate launch of a laptop scheme.
It is also decided in the meeting to offer new market-driven disciplines in the colleges where the number of the students is less. The CM directed to introduced a foolproof system for the appointment of Divisional Directors and Principals purely on merit through an online portal system. A plan for providing new buses to government colleges was also presented to the Chief Minister.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif suggested forming a high-level ministerial committee to examine the operations of private universities. She also decided to create the Punjab Board Coordination Commission to implement reforms in the management of education boards.
