Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that the nation has high hopes of its youth who as doctors, engineers, scientists and politicians will ensure a bright future for the country. He said that there was a need for promotion of Pakistan's ideology and apprising the youth of the aims and objectives of the creation of the country and Nazria-e-Pakistan Trust was playing a commendable role in this regard.
He was addressing prize distribution ceremony at the conclusion of 10th annual session of ideological summer school arranged by Nazria-e-Pakistan Trust at Aiwan-e-Karkunan-e-Tehreek-Pakistan, here on Tuesday. The Chief Minister said that the aim of progress and prosperity of the country could not be achieved without education therefore, Punjab government was attaching top priority to the promotion of education and had taken revolutionary steps for the uplift of this sector.
He said that Punjab Educational Endowment Fund had been set up first time in the history of the country for providing financial assistance to the poor but talented students to enable them continue their studies. He said that arrangements have been made for higher education of talented students at leading educational institutions of the country through the educational fund. He said that five students were being sent to the top educational institutions of the world this year under this fund for studying such subjects as were directly related to the economy of the country.
He said that study tours of position holder students were being arranged to the prestigious educational institutions of the world and 50 such students had recently returned to the country from their visit to educational institutions of Britain and other European countries which had enhanced self-confidence in them.
He said that these students were awarded gold medals at the House of Lords and House of Commons to acknowledge their achievements and the efforts of their parents who despite difficult circumstance had afforded expenses on the education of their children. He said that Punjab government was focussing on promotion of curricular and co-curricular activities and arranged essay and speech contests and prizes worth million of rupees were given to the students showing better performance.
He said that a block at Punjab House Murree had been reserved for talented boy and girl students of Punjab and other areas of the county while instructions had been issued for the purchase of buses for the transportation of such children from far-flung areas of the province.
The Chief Minister further said that besides highlighting day-to-day affairs of the society, media was also continuing the process of accountability. He said that the media while pointing out shortcoming of the rulers also appreciated the positive steps of the government therefore, the freedom of media was of vital importance to the government.
He said that Chairman Nazria-e-Pakistan Trust Majid Nizami and his entire team deserved credit for its efforts for apprising the youth of the principles of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal and aims and objectives of Pakistan movement.
He said that Punjab government would extend all out co-operation to Nazria-e-Pakistan Trust for this purpose. Chairman Nazria-e-Pakistan Trust Majid Nizami while addressing the function said that there was a dire need to promote awareness in the children about the significance of Pakistan ideology.
He said that under the ideological school programme students were gaining such knowledge during their summer vacations as would help them throughout their life. Vice Chairman Nazria-e-Pakistan Trust Professor Dr Rafiq Ahmed paid rich tributes to Chief Minister Punjab for taking solid measures for the promotion of education and diverting educational funds to the poor.
The Chief Minister also gave shields to the boy and girl students showing outstanding performance at the ideological summer school. Senator Chaudhry Naeem Hussain Chatha, Muslim League leader Begum Majeeda Wyne, Professor Dr Rafique Ahmed, Mian Farooq Altaf, Colonel Jamshed Ahmed Tareen (Retd) besides columnists, intellectuals and a large number of students were present on the occasion.