CHIEF Minister Usman Buzdar launched on Monday Rehmat-ul-Lilalameen (SAW) scholarship program under which initially about fifteen thousand students of Intermediate and BS (Hons) programmes will be given scholarships worth over Rs 400 million and the amount will be expanded to Rs 1 billion in the next budget.
Mostly in our country, initiatives or programs are launched in the name of famous political figures but the Punjab government really deserves applause for coming up with such a sacred title for one of its important programs, which indeed will go a long way in promoting education and exploiting the true potential of our youth.
All his life, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) laid great emphasis on imparting and receiving knowledge and indeed it is only by following his words and footsteps that we, the Muslims, can surmount all the challenges faced by us today.
As regards the scholarship program is concerned, we are confident that it will be implemented in the most transparent manner and only the deserving and talented youth will be enrolled in it.
Apart from increasing the amount of scholarship with the passage of time, the scope of the scholarship program should be further expanded to other professional degrees including the technical education so that our youth can get education & training as per their interest and competency in a particular area or subject.
Such a mechanism needs to be devised so that the students of seminaries could also benefit from the scholarship program.
These students are also part of our education system and any such initiative must also consider them.
Undoubtedly, education is one of the most important investments a country can make in its future. It is the most powerful agent of change and helps improve health and livelihood besides contributing to social stability and drives long-term economic growth.
Hence, the focus our federal and provincial governments must remain on providing education to the children as per the modern day requirements in order to emerge as a dignified country in the comity of nations.
