PM launches largest ever scholarship programme.

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday said Ehsaas Undergraduates Scholarship Programme will drive the country's poor and talented youth to get education and achieve excellence.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of the largest-ever undergraduates scholarship programme here, he said the people have no idea what a big change this programme will bring in the society. He said under the initiative, a total of 200,000 scholarships (50,000 per year) will be awarded to the needy and talented students during the next four years. He said due to unemployment, the talented and intelligent youth of the country was developing intolerance and tendency toward negative practices. However, this scholarship programme will help the deserving students to divert their energies toward positive sides, he said.

The prime minister also shared his experience of establishing world class NAMAL University in Mianwali. He said 90% of the NAMAL graduates, who belong to poor families, are getting good jobs in the relevant fields and their living standard has also improved. He said 50 to 55% of the students of NAMAL, which was affiliated with UK's Bradford University, got first division as against Bradford where this number stood at 10 to 12 percent.

He said undergraduates scholarship programme will help eliminate the class-based colonial education system from the country under which the elite get education from English medium institutions while others go for education from Urdu medium schools and madaris. He hoped that the government scholarships will be awarded on merit and on the basis of aptitude tests, like done in Germany and France.

The prime minister appreciated the allocation of 50% and 2% quotas for women and disabled respectively and said the role of women has been vital in the upbringing of...