Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah today announced a record Rs 42 billion fund allocation in public sector universities, the highest among all provinces, during an inauguration ceremony at NED University.
The ceremony also marked the distribution of Chromebooks to top-performing students of the People’s Information Technology Program (PITP). The Chief Minister emphasized his administration’s commitment to higher learning, digital literacy, and youth empowerment through initiatives like PITP. The event was attended by prominent figures from academia and government.
The Rs 42 billion allocation will support operational requirements, investigation, infrastructure development, and technological advancement in Sindh”s universities. Mr. Shah inaugurated a new food engineering building with modern labs (Rs. 96.48 million) and an international boys” hostel (Rs. 67.11 million) at NED University. A new girls” hostel (Rs. 98.52 million) was also inaugurated, promoting gender equality in technical education.
The Chief Minister highlighted the success of PITP, a collaborative project with NED University, MUET, and Sukkur IBA. The program surpassed its training targets with 13,565 students in PITP-I, of whom 4,353 graduates secured jobs, adding Rs. 49 million to the provincial revenue.
The program saw significant female participation, with 40% at Sukkur IBA, 36% at NED, and 33.6% at MUET. Notably, 62% of MUET participants hailed from rural areas, emphasizing the program”s inclusive nature.
Shah awarded 300 Chromebooks to top PITP scholars based on a transparent, merit-based selection process tailored to each institution. Criteria included academic performance, project execution, job preparedness, attendance, examination grades, and freelancing earnings.
Training for Chromebook beneficiaries will be held in April 2025 by Tech Valley, Google”s partner in Pakistan, followed by award ceremonies in May 2025.
Building on this achievement, the Chief Minister announced PITP-II with an enhanced budget of Rs. 1.4 billion. This phase aims to train 35,000 students across 12 in-demand IT fields, including Matric, Intermediate, and Graduate levels (up to 28 years of age). It targets a 40% employment rate, potentially generating Rs. 5.04 billion over five years-a 3.6x return on investment, and will award Chromebooks to the top 5% of performers (1,750 students).
The Chief Minister acknowledged the efforts of university vice-chancellors, PITP coordinators, Tech Valley”s CEO, and the Science and IT Department. He reiterated his administration”s dedication to building a knowledge-based economy and promoting social progress, ensuring that no student is left behind.