A Punjab minister has urged the young generation to promote the culture of education and research, saying hardworking and competent male and female students are "the symbol of the bright future of Pakistan". Minister for Minority Affairs and Human Rights Khalil Tahir Sandhu attending a meeting with a delegation of mixed gender university students on Wednesday said, "Without the use of latest technology it is hard to compete with international standards in education and research."
He also claimed that his government had added a 47-percent additional budget for the upcoming year in education as compared to the previous budget. "Collectively, Rs 256 billion has been allocated for school education and Rs 46 billion and Rs 800 million for higher education," he told his audience.
He then talked up his government's "revolutionary steps" in education, claiming that basic facilities were being provided in more than 52,000 schools with entry of additional 1.4 million students and maintaining teachers' attendance up to 92 percent and selecting 135,000 new teachers on merit. He also claimed more than two million students would get technical and vocational training in the Punjab under the Skilled Strategy 2018. "Moreover, 400,000 laptops will be distributed on merit. This year a 100-percent increase has been made in the Punjab endowment fund. The Punjab government is providing scholarships to competent students in the world's best universities," he added.