Maryam Nawaz approves free google certifications for 100,000 students

-- Orders major education reforms across Punjab

LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has approved free Google certification courses for more than 100,000 students across the province, under a major education and digital skills initiative aimed at enhancing employability and technological training. Under the programme, students will not have to pay fees ranging from $400 to $1,000 for Google certification courses.

The chief minister also approved the provision of electric bus facilities for college students and the establishment of modern information technology laboratories in 166 government colleges across Punjab. A key decision was taken to standardise college education across the province to ensure uniform academic quality and resources.

Chairing a review meeting of the School Education and Higher Education Departments, Maryam Nawaz directed that ongoing school improvement projects, including those in Sargodha and other districts, be completed on an emergency basis. She also ordered that all eligible students be provided stipends under the Honhaar Scholarship Programme.

Officials informed the meeting that 62,949 students would receive scholarships in a single tranche for the first time in Punjab’s history. It was also reported that 98 percent of students expressed satisfaction with the Chief Minister Punjab Laptop Scheme, while Phase-II of the programme will also include visually impaired and other special students.

The meeting approved the affiliation of all commerce colleges with public sector universities. Under this plan, 36 commerce colleges across 29 districts will be linked with 19 government universities, ensuring each college is affiliated with its respective district’s public university.

For the first time, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will be introduced for principals, teachers, colleges, and vice chancellors to assess institutional performance and improve accountability in the education sector.

Students from both public and private institutions will also receive training in emerging fields such as cyber security, artificial intelligence, and business intelligence through short courses of three to six months under Google certification programmes.

Officials further briefed that 142,000 students have applied for Phase-II of the laptop scheme, while 365 graduate students will receive scholarships of Rs25,000 each.

Under Phase-I of the Honhaar Scholarship Programme, Rs2.38 billion was disbursed among 5,282 students from 262 government colleges, while Phase-II allocates Rs1.94 billion for 4,310 students from 200 colleges.

The meeting was also informed that 9.94 million students participated in PECTAA Grade-8 assessment examinations, with a pass rate of 92 percent among girls and 84 percent among boys. The chief minister expressed satisfaction over the results, noting that female students secured the top three positions in the province.