PM Shehbaz launches scheme to distribute 500,000 Chromebooks nationwide

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday announced that the government would distribute 500,000 Chromebooks among students across the country over the next two years under the Prime Minister’s Youth Chromebook Scheme.

Addressing the scheme’s launch ceremony in Islamabad, the prime minister said providing young people with access to modern technology was the state’s “collective responsibility” and would help them contribute to the country’s development.

“Our boys and girls are the true assets of Pakistan,” he said, adding that the devices would be distributed based on students’ hard work and ability.

PM Shehbaz said the Chromebooks would help students attend classes remotely, pursue further education and improve their prospects of securing employment.

Recalling previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) governments’ distribution of 600,000 laptops over a decade, he said the current government aimed to distribute 500,000 Chromebooks within two years.

The prime minister stressed that poverty should not prevent young people from developing their skills and abilities. He also said education should be a priority for every government, adding that resources should be made available for the development of children.

PM Shehbaz clarified that students of religious seminaries were also eligible for the scheme, saying they had benefited from previous laptop distribution programmes alongside university and college students.

He reiterated that the Chromebooks would be distributed on the basis of students’ ability and merit.