Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that every child should go to school in order to get education.
Speaking at the Fourth Edition of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2025 in Turkey, Maryam Nawaz Sharif proposed to form a global agreement for girls’ education. Mutually cooperative educational policy, teaching strategies and measures for promoting education were also suggested.
The chief minister invited top universities of Turkiye to establish campuses in Punjab.
Maryam Nawaz said in her speech that Turkish institutions should establish high centers for youth in Punjab. “We’ll lay the foundation for a bright future through mutual partnership and exchange programs with Turkiye,” said Maryam Nawaz.
She said that holding the Anatolian Diplomacy Forum under the leadership of Turkish first lady is a positive development.
The Anatolian Diplomacy Forum is a successful model of women’s leadership.
“We are recruiting about 30,000 new school teachers entirely on merit, reviving regular appointments that have been stalled in Punjab for years,” she said.
For the first time, we have established a dedicated teacher training and curriculum development institution with continuous professional development programs aligned to the 21st century learning goals, she added.
According to Maryam Nawaz, the Punjab government is establishing Pakistan’s first internet city that would be named after Nawaz Sharif.
She added that Pakistan’s first dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) university would be established in Lahore soon. Maryam Nawaz said that the initiative is set to transform the future of education in the country. She said the AI-focused educational initiatives in Punjab represent a significant step forward in reshaping traditional learning models to meet the demands of the 21st century.
“The promotion of AI-based education is changing the landscape of learning. With the establishment of Pakistan’s first AI university in Lahore, we are preparing our youth for a smarter, technology-driven future,” she stated.
The chief minister said that the Punjab government has announced scholarships for the students and 50 percent were given to the girls.
She added that all the scholarships were given to the deserving and needy students.
Maryam Nawaz also talked about Palestinian girls the way they were facing Israeli atrocities. She also paid tribute to the girls of Afghanistan and Kashmir. “The Afghan girls are barred from classrooms. The Kashmiri children are trying to break the shackles of slavery. The Sudanese refugees are walking miles for food,” said Maryam Nawaz, while paying tribute to them. She said that Punjab will become the voice of voiceless girls.
Maryam Nawaz paid tribute to Turkish First Lady Emine Erdo?an and appreciated the efforts of the Maarif Foundation for organizing the forum at a critical global juncture. She stressed that Pakistan and Turkey, though two nations, share a unified spirit and vision, bringing with her a message of solidarity and love from the people of Punjab.
Since assuming office in March 2024, the Chief Minister said she has been working to build upon the strong foundations laid by former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif.
“We began a new era of development with a renewed spirit – focusing on economic progress, education, and health infrastructure,” she noted.
Maryam Nawaz concluded her speech with a passionate call for inclusive, just, and future-ready education, reaffirming her government’s commitment to bringing every child, especially in rural areas, into the folds of modern learning.
Meanwhile Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Antalya, Turkiye on Saturday. First Lady Emine Erdogan was also present on the occasion.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warmly welcomed Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and thanked her for attending the Diplomacy Forum Conference.
He inquired about the health of former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and expressed his best wishes.
Speaking with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he would be meeting Nawaz Sharif soon.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also conveyed a message of goodwill from Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to the President of Turkiye. She also thanked him for inviting her to visit Turkiye.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also met with First Lady of Turkiye Emine Erdogan at Antalya in Turkiye on Saturday.
The First Lady warmly welcomed Maryam Nawaz and thanked her for visiting Turkiye. The Chief Minister reciprocated the gesture by thanking her. Both the leaders exchanged best wishes.