Honhaar Scholarship Expanded to Other Provinces
The scheme aims to provide equal access to technology for students from various regions, and the eligibility criteria include being a student from a public sector institution, with required documents including academic transcripts, national ID card, domicile certificate, and passport-sized photograph. The registration deadline is expected to be September 2025.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has approved the expansion of the Honhaar Scholarship Scheme to include students from other provinces, with the same eligibility criteria as Punjab students, in a bid to promote education and youth development across the country.
The scheme will now cover students from Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, in addition to Punjab, and will provide scholarships to students in their second, third, and fourth semesters. The number of laptops to be distributed has also been increased to 110,000, as part of the Punjab CM Laptop Scheme 2025, which aims to promote digital literacy and provide students with the latest technological tools.
A helpline will be set up to assist students with the scholarship and laptop schemes, and the government has emphasized that the provision of funds for students should not be restricted. The laptops distributed under this scheme will be 13th-generation laptops with Core i7 processors, and selection will be based on academic performance, written exam, and document verification.
The Chief Minister has also announced plans to organize a conference of vice-chancellors and a 'Tech Expo' in the province, and has launched a pilot project to allocate separate lanes for cyclists and motorcyclists on the roads of Lahore, inspired by China's capital Beijing. The registration process for the laptop scheme will begin in February 2025, and the distribution of laptops will likely start in April or May 2025.
The expansion of the Honhaar Scholarship Scheme and the increase in the number of laptops to be distributed are expected to have a positive impact on education and youth development in the country, and will provide opportunities for students from all provinces to access quality education and latest technology.