ISLAMABAD, Sep 12 (APP): Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Thursday assured the National Assembly that students of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) would be included in the Prime Minister’s Laptop Scheme.
Responding to a Calling Attention notice raised by Shahida Begum regarding the non-inclusion of AIOU students in the Prime Minister’s laptop scheme, the minister said that the final decision has yet to be taken about the PM’s Laptop Scheme.
However, the minister assured the assembly that these concerns would be addressed in the final decision-making process.
Siddiqui clarified that while a final decision is yet to be made, the government is committed to ensuring AIOU students benefit from the program.
He highlighted that the PM’s Laptop Scheme, initiated in 2013, has previously distributed over 10,000 laptops to students, including those from AIOU and Virtual University (VU).
He acknowledged that while AIOU students received laptops in 2015-16, the allocation in 2022-23 was redirected to students in Balochistan based on a decision by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
Shahida Begum, while raising the calling attention notice, emphasized that many AIOU students come from underprivileged backgrounds, particularly in remote areas of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
She pointed out that these students, especially those enrolled in PhD and MPhil programs, rely heavily on laptops for their research work. Given their financial challenges, she urged that at least PhD and MPhil students from AIOU be prioritized in the upcoming laptop distribution.
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