ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday instructed the authorities to ensure transparency and merit in the selection of students to be sent for agricultural training in China.
The premier issues the instructions while chairing a meeting where he also directed to establish a committee to address complaints of students who fail to meet the eligibility criteria during the scrutiny of their applications.
He said the government will pay dues for the modern agricultural training of Pakistani students in China, adding that the first batch of Pakistan students will soon depart for the neighbouring country. He highlighted that ten percent special quota has been reserved for students from Balochistan for this agricultural training opportunity.
He thanked the Chinese leadership and universities for providing Pakistani students the opportunity to receive modern agricultural training in their country.
During the meeting, the premier was informed that 1,287 students from the agricultural sector had submitted their applications through the portal in a transparent manner. It was told that 711 students met the established criteria for training. These students also include candidates from Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The meeting was informed that these students will be sent to China in two batches.
The first batch of 300 students will depart for China in March. The students of this batch will receive training related to irrigation improvement, livestock disease diagnosis and monitoring, livestock breeding and modern genetics, and the preparation and processing of modern seeds.
The second batch of 400 students will be sent to China in the middle of this year. They will receive training in the use of modern machinery in agriculture, rapid crop growth, the use of modern technology in agriculture including artificial intelligence, and fruit and vegetable processing.
