Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday said that Sindh Higher Education Commission will award Rs.40 million scholarships to the students of public and private sector universities. The decision was made at a meeting of the Sindh HEC and vice-chancellors of public universities which was presided over by the CM Sindh. According to the decision these scholarships will be awarded on merit-cum-need basis for the students of BS/MS/M.Phil/Ph.D of Public sector universities and for the students of MS/M.Phil/Ph.D of private sector universities during the current financial year. The chief minister on the recommendation of the provincial Higher Education Commission (HEC) also distributed Rs 25 million among five public sector universities of rural areas at a rate of Rs 5 million each for establishment of IT labs. These universities include Shaikh Ayaz University, Shikarpur, Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women University, Sukkur, Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University of Technology and Skill Development, Khairpur, Government College University, Hyderabad and Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University Lyari, Karachi. Syed Murad Ali Shah also distributed cheques Rs 45.7 million for 26 research projects of faculty members of the universities. These projects belonged to University of Sindh Jamshoro, University of Karachi, NED University, Karachi, Mehran University Jamshoro, Dow University, Liaquat Medical University, Jamshoro, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur Sukkur IBA University, Begum Nusrat Bhutto University, Sukkur and Government College University, Hyderabad. Speaking to the participants, the CM said that smart class in a university is an innovative concept in education. In this environment e-learning and online education was the need of this time. “Use of smart classrooms in universities is not a dream, but it is the necessity of the time”, he said. The Sindh HEC has initiated the program to provide funding to establish Smart classrooms in all public Sector Universities of Sindh, Chairman HEC Dr Asim told the chief minister and added in the first phase, the commission has approved funding to seven newly established underdeveloped universities. The chief minister said that the Smart class in a university was an innovative concept in education. “In this environment e-learning and online education is the need of this time and use of smart classrooms in universities is not a dream, but it is the necessity of the time”. The Sindh HEC has initiated the program to provide funding to establish Smart classrooms in all public Sector Universities of Sindh. In the first phase, the commission has approved funding to seven newly established / underdeveloped universities.