Punjab witnessing most comprehensive educational reform era: Mujtaba

LAHORE: Punjab Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said on Tuesday that the Punjab government’s education-friendly policies and ongoing youth development initiatives are yielding fruitful results.

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the province is experiencing one of the most comprehensive educational reform era in its history,” he said. “Transformative programs for school rehabilitation, smart classrooms, digital libraries, modern IT laboratories, teacher training, and the development of higher education institutions are being implemented at an unprecedented scale.”

While speaking at the 28th annual convocation of the University of Management and Technology (UMT), he said that Punjab is rapidly advancing toward a knowledge-based economy, supported by increased resources for higher education, expanded research grants, incubation centres and international academic partnerships. He stressed that the Punjab government views education not merely as a sector but as a mission and the improvement of educational institutions remains its foremost priority.

He remarked, “The true wealth of any nation is not its treasury but its educated youth.” He commended that institutions like UMT are delivering world-class education while playing a pivotal role in strengthening Pakistan’s intellectual and economic landscape.

He termed the CM Punjab Education Endowment & Scholarship Expansion Program as a milestone initiative that is enabling thousands of students to access quality higher education.

Sharing details of new opportunities for the youth, the minister noted that the Punjab Skills for Employment Program is equipping young people with training in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, FinTech, cyber security, data analytics and other emerging technologies, ensuring their competitiveness in global markets.

According to the university administration, more than 2,000 students received their degrees this year. The graduating batch included 74 PhD scholars, 185 gold medalists, and 300 distinguished scholarship recipients.

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