LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz has announced the expansion of the Honhaar Scholarship Program to students from other provinces. This decision was made during a high-level meeting on higher education held in Lahore.

During the meeting, CM Maryam Nawaz approved the extension of the Honhaar Scholarship Program to students from provinces outside Punjab, with the same eligibility criteria. The meeting also approved an increase in the number of laptops under the Punjab Laptop Scheme, raising the total to 110,000 laptops for students. Additionally, formal approval was given for the Honhaar Scholarship Program to include second-year, third-year, and fourth-year students in Punjab. The minimum eligibility requirement for receiving laptops has been set at 65 percent marks. In her address, Maryam Nawaz emphasized that laptops and scholarships are the rights of every student and the government’s responsibility.

She expressed her desire for every student to have access to a laptop, stating, “I wish every child could get a laptop.” She further mentioned that students from Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are equally deserving of these opportunities, adding that the Punjab government will cover the fees of any student who secures merit-based admission to a reputable college. As a mother, she emphasized her commitment to changing the destiny of every child.

She also informed that the first batch of laptops had already arrived, selected from the best available options in the market, and assured that students with over 65% marks would soon receive their laptops personally from her. Moreover, she revealed plans to increase the annual distribution of Honhaar Scholarships, which currently stands at 30,000, by an additional 20,000 scholarships.