Endowment fund established to support higher education of underprivileged students: PM Shehbaz

Published August 20, 2024
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets with Oxford Union President Israr Kakar at PM House on Aug 20, 2024 — PID
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets with Oxford Union President Israr Kakar at PM House on Aug 20, 2024 — PID

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that the government had established the Pakistan Education Endowment Fund to support children from low-income families to obtain higher education.

The announcement comes months after PM Shehbaz declared an education emergency in the country and vowed to get around 26 million out-of-school children enrolled.

According to Abdullah A. Fadil, the representative for United Nations Children’s Funds (Unicef) in Pakistan, over 70 per cent of children aged 10 in Pakistan could not read or understand text.

In a meeting with Oxford Union President Israr Khan Kakar at the PM House today, the prime minister said that a 20pc quota will be allocated for the youth of Balochistan under the newly established fund.

The premier lauded Kakar on winning the Oxford Union election in June, when the former became the third Pakistani and first from Balochistan to hold this prestigious position.

The Oxford Union, founded in 1823, is one of the oldest and most esteemed debating societies in the world.

PM Shehbaz expressed the hope that young people like him would continue to make Pakistan proud.

“Winning scholarship throughout the academic career and then his election as president of a great body like Oxford Union by a youngster coming from a backward area of Balochistan is a matter of pride,” the premier highlighted.

Inviting him to address the Oxford Union, Kakar thanked the prime minister and his government’s efforts for “youth empowerment and providing them equal opportunities”.

“All of the youth like me, are resolved to offer all-out services for Pakistan’s progress and prosperity,” Kakar asserted.

Opinion

Editorial

More than words
04 Apr, 2025

More than words

WITH Balochistan in tumult, the political class needs to heal the province’s wounds with sagacity and...
Poor publicity
04 Apr, 2025

Poor publicity

FORTUNE does not seem to be favouring the PTI — at least not yet. With the party’s founder confined from public...
Party pooper
04 Apr, 2025

Party pooper

INDIA’s role of a spoilsport is tiresome. From pulling books from shelves, such as Wendy Doniger’s The Hindus: ...
Canal unrest
Updated 03 Apr, 2025

Canal unrest

With rising water scarcity in Indus system, it is crucial to move towards a consensus-driven policymaking process.
Iran-US tension
03 Apr, 2025

Iran-US tension

THE Trump administration’s threats aimed at Iran do not bode well for global peace, and unless Washington changes...
Flights to history
03 Apr, 2025

Flights to history

MOHENJODARO could have been the forgotten gold we desperately need. Instead, this 5,000-year-old well of antiquity ...