HEC all set to restore Prime Minister's Laptop Scheme

KARACHI: Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed has announced to restore Prime Minister Laptop Scheme in the next few days.

The HEC chairman made the announcement while speaking with journalists in Karachi.

The chairman further shared that the HEC will also initiate a programme for online courses for students in Pakistan’s universities with support from Microsoft and different global organisations.

The announcement comes after the federal government led by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) announced to resume its landmark Prime Minister Laptop Scheme under the Youth Development Initiatives.

According to HEC sources, a budget of Rs10bn was allocated for the scheme and laptops will be provided to students of BS, Masters, MPhil, PhD, Undergraduate (with a limited number).

For this purpose, the government also established a committee under the supervision of the Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Mukhtar Ahmad which will finalize all the matters including criteria and others.

The 14-member committee includes Executive Director of HEC, Additional Finance Secretary (Budget) Government of Pakistan, a Member Planning and Development Division, Science and Technology, Secretary Higher Education Department Punjab, Secretary Higher Education Department Sindh, Secretary Higher Education Department Balochistan, Secretary Higher Education Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a representative from National Information Technology Board (NITB), Secretary Higher Education Department Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Representative of Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and others.