Daily Times

Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat announced the government’s commitment to educational empowerment with the launch of the “Hunar Scholarship Program.” The initiative, aimed at providing extensive educational opportunities, will distribute over 30,000 scholarships annually, with a budget of Rs 130 billion set aside for this purpose.

Speaking at a meeting with heads of private universities, the minister emphasized that the program marks a significant step in fulfilling government promises, surpassing previous schemes like the laptop initiative. The program will support students from limited financial backgrounds, with scholarships available for 50 public, 7 private, and 5 federal universities, as well as 331 public colleges and 14 medical colleges across the province.

The meeting discussed strategies for awarding scholarships and ensuring merit-based selection. Minister Hayat directed universities to host awareness seminars to inform students about the program.

He noted that 43,000 students have already logged into the scholarship portal, and over 1,100 applications have been received, with 178,000 students having accessed information about the program. A quota for minority students will also be implemented, and private institutions will play a larger role, especially in districts without public universities.

Rana Sikandar Hayat highlighted that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif is personally invested in the program, reviewing its progress daily. Scholarships will be offered across 67 different programs, and students from families earning less than 300,000 annually are eligible to apply.