The two-year initiative will provide merit-based devices with MiFi internet connectivity to deserving students, with an estimated 2.5 million family members also set to benefit.
ISLAMABAD, October 25, 2026: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday launched a nationwide initiative to distribute 500,000 Chromebooks equipped with MiFi internet connectivity among deserving students and high achievers on merit.
Addressing the launching ceremony, the prime minister said providing modern education and technology to young people was a core government responsibility and essential for building a prosperous Pakistan. He announced that the devices would be distributed over two years.
Shehbaz Sharif stressed that poverty should not prevent talented students from pursuing higher education. He said the initiative would cover students from diverse educational backgrounds, including mainstream schools and religious seminaries, enabling them to access e-libraries and quality educational resources.
Recalling previous initiatives, the prime minister said the PML-N government under Nawaz Sharif had distributed 600,000 laptops across the country over a decade, with merit remaining the guiding principle.
He thanked Tokyo Technology and the Care Foundation for supporting the Chromebook initiative. The programme’s internet connectivity features are expected to benefit students’ families as well, potentially reaching an estimated 2.5 million people.
The prime minister also highlighted investments in educational infrastructure, including the inauguration of a Daanish School in Islamabad and the construction of 27 additional campuses nationwide. These institutions are intended to provide modern facilities and curricula.
To demonstrate the programme’s merit-based approach, he highlighted the achievements of Syed Shams Raza, an orphanage resident whose father was a martyr, and Alma Mahak Sabir, a student from a madrassah. Both students expressed gratitude after receiving recognition at the ceremony.
Federal Minister for Federal Education Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said Pakistan’s 150 million young people represented a major national asset whose potential could be harnessed through education and skills development.
Tokyo Technology Care Foundation Chairman Rashid Minhas said the partnership aimed to empower students to become creators in the digital world and contribute to a national digital transformation.
Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, described the initiative as an important step towards modernising education and helping young Pakistanis compete in global innovation and technology.
The ceremony was attended by ministers, parliamentarians, the speaker of the Punjab Assembly, educationists, vice chancellors, ambassadors and foreign guests.