Creating the Future of Pakistani Youth through Quality Education Rather Than Laptop Schemes

Aim of the policy paper

The aim of this policy paper is to address the policy actors towards the need to somehow ignore PM
National Laptop Scheme 2017 under PM National Youth Initiative Scheme and to focus on improving
educational conditions of Pakistan. Pakistan needs better education facilities not laptops because
laptops cannot upgrade our GDP but better education does and education is a human right and a public
good; it must be publicly funded and publicly regulated.

Table of Contents

Introduction ,Salient Features ,Problems ,Conclusion and Policy Recommendations

Introduction

 Prime Minister’s National Laptop Scheme was introduced in 2014

 Previous version is Shahbaz Sharif Youth Initiative.
 Under this scheme, worthy students are given standardized laptops with a Wi-Fi device.
 4 billion rupees have been used on this scheme.
 More than one lakh laptops have been given to students under this policy through HEC.

Salient Features

• To help and appreciate worthy students

• Provide them with best technological devices that will help them while pursuing their education.

Issues

• Only high CGPA’s are getting Laptops

• Misuse of Laptops
• Voting Scheme or Laptop Scheme?
• Quality Education or Laptops?
• Corruption
• High Level of Illiteracy

• Only high CGPA Students are getting Laptops

I appreciate the vision of PM National Laptop Scheme but this scheme is only for those students who
entered in the high education and achieving high Cgpa’s. A student who is even needy but somehow
didn’t achieve required cgpa is not considered to award a laptop which in my opinion is not fair.
• Misuse of Laptops

Now there is a trend of selling laptops on sale. Pakistani students who got these laptops for their studies
(the sole purpose of the scheme), are now seen by selling laptops in order to get good lump sum of
money.

Now the question arises, “Why get the laptop at all?”

 Now these students are indirectly snatching the rights of those worthy students who couldn’t
avail this opportunity because of somehow less GPA compared to these students .
 Moreover mostly students who are availing this golden opportunity are actually violating the
laptop scheme’s rules and regulations. This act is highly unethical because the receiver of the
laptop is not allowed to sell laptops.
 Most laptops are being sold for between Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000. A little bargaining can reduce
the price by up 2-3K according to some users.
 By violating these rules and regulations set by the PMLN government, students lose the right to
call the government corrupt no matter which political party they support, either they are
supporting pmln, ppp or pti. In reality these students are corrupt too.
 This unethical act also wastes the PMLN government money and efforts on those students who
are doing unethical acts of selling laptops. We can say that these students are doing fraud with
this scheme.

• Is PM National Laptop Scheme a Voting Scheme or actually a Laptop Scheme?

Apart from above issue regarding PM laptop scheme, a question is raised that, “Is prime minister laptop
scheme a Voting Scheme or actually a Laptop Scheme”? The perception of many people of Pakistan is
that this laptop scheme is just as a tool to get votes. Many people thought that when PMLN government
realized that PTI is a challenge for them then they started trying to give priority to the students of
Pakistan so that they may capture the votes of the youth. Why not Pakistan’s ministry of education
offers students scholarships and discounted fees, which is the todays need and demand?

• Quality Education or Laptops?

If a worthy student who is getting high CGPA, does that student really needs a laptop or a good
educational facility that will help that student in his educational and professional life? If the government
of Pakistan really wishes to improve the standard of education, then it should provide quality of
education and more scholarships to the needy and worthy youth of Pakistan. More practical solutions
can be explored.

Corruption

 Price range of laptops increased without any change in technology

 2 Billions rupees are lost and misused and Rs.1.6 billion was debited from the national treasury
before receiving any of the ordered laptops.
  Many of the laptops are given to students that don’t meet the distribution criteria of the laptop
scheme.

High level of illiteracy

 Round about 5.1% youth are acquiring proper higher education .

 Expensive education
 20 million children are deprived of basic education.
 So here I raise a point that if majority of people couldn’t find means to acquire and pursue
higher education then why government of Pakistan is distributing thousands of laptops among
students? It is of course of no use if majority of people couldn’t write and read.
 How can Pakistan’s GDP grow if basic rights of youth are being snatched? Youth is our future. If
maximum youth is doing labor jobs instead of getting education then how can they contribute
their best abilities to increase Pakistan’s GDP?
 Has our current government is using federal budget properly?
 Has our PMLN Government make sure that half of the children of Pakistan are getting proper
education?
 Has the rate of illiteracy in Pakistan decreased or increased?
 Has the government of Pakistan take any successive steps for those innocent girls who are
deprived from basic education and other opportunities for themselves?

Conclusion

Although the laptop scheme has its fair share of critics and admirers, it is concluded that present
government of Pakistan should take necessary steps that will bring the educational sector towards
success. Instead of distributing Laptops, Quality Education should be the priority to upgrade the level of
youth of Pakistan.

Policy Recommendations

I would like to suggest the following recommendations to be given special attention when formulating
the new policy. Instead of relying on PM National Laptop Scheme, it is to draw attention to the following
recommendations to improve educational sector of Pakistan:

1. Funds that are allocated for laptop scheme should be used in other areas of educational sector
especially in educational institutions in the rural areas of Pakistan. In this way literacy rate of Pakistan
can be achieved.

2. Special legal actions should be taken on those students who sold laptops instead of making their
proper use for education.

3. Scholarships and reduction in the fees of education should be prioritized than laptop scheme while
allocating funds to the education sector.