ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved Prime Minister’s Youth Laptop Scheme with an increased cost of Rs 10.827 billion.
The ECNEC meeting presided over by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday was informed that on June 29, 2022, the project was approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) at a cost of Rs 8 billion for the procurement of 74,700 laptops. Now after the directive of the prime minister of Pakistan, the quantity of laptops has been increased from 74,700 to 100,000 and the cost of the PC-I has been revised upward to Rs 10.827 billion.
The meeting was informed that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) had initiated the procurement of laptops immediately after the approval of the project in June 2022 and tenders for the procurement of laptops were invited through print media on 13th November 2022.
The meeting was further told that the project aims to enhance the capacity of young Pakistanis in their relevant educational areas and enhance their practical and technical skills and provide an opportunity to introduce fresh ideas in the development sector of Pakistan. The expenditure of the programme will be met from the development projects being implemented under the PSDP.
Govt to provide laptops to 100,000 students: SAPM
The meeting was informed that after the Covid-19 pandemic, the vitality of remote and virtual education has been realised. The Covid-19 lockdown not only adversely affected the economy but all educational activities were shut down, which created a huge gap in students’ learning and knowledge all over the globe. More than 200 countries across the globe, including Pakistan, have closed educational institutions (schools, colleges, universities, and madrassas) to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
These closures have disrupted the learning of more than 1.7 billion learners (representing 91 percent of the total enrolled students) across the world. Modern information and communication technologies are key to enhancing the efficiency, efficacy, and impact of programmes of development in the higher education sector. And using distance education and open learning, affiliating universities must leverage ICTs to play a major role in improving quality and widening access to higher education in Pakistan.
The meeting was further informed that realising challenges and the opportunities and strengths the country possesses; a number of initiatives were launched by the government on the directives of the prime minister.
The Prime Minister’s Laptop Scheme is among such initiatives for bright young students studying at any of the public sector higher education institute across the country.
The meeting was told that a country’s economic development is determined by its intellectual capital. Pakistan is unique in the sense that almost 63 per cent of its population is below the age of 30. The government has realised the importance of this fact and started specific programs for tapping the potential of the youth, reducing unemployment by providing appropriate skills, and flourish a culture of entrepreneurship.
The scheme is envisioned to promote outreach of youth to information and communication technologies (ICTs) as to bridge the digital divide not only within the higher education sector but across other sectors as well, and to the communities throughout the country.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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