Govt likely to purchase 0.8 million laptops to resume PM’s Laptop Scheme 2022
ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and other relevant institutions have allegedly begun the process of procuring at least 800,000 computers as the multiparty administration in the centre has signalled its desire to relaunch the Prime Minister’s Laptop Scheme for students.According to trustworthy sources, the government plans to buy laptop computers and give them to deserving young people in the country through a meritocratic procedure.According to reports, the project’s PC-1 is being prepared for submission to the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) for approval by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), as it includes billions of dollars.
“We are awaiting news of the CDWP decision and subsequent ECNEC clearance. “An advertising will be published for the purchase of a laptop that meets the acceptable parameters,” a HEC official stated.
According to an official, the government plans to buy/import at least 0.8 million laptop computers. During the initial phase of the initiative, at least 100,000 eligible adolescents would be given laptop computers.
Despite the fact that the government’s earlier purchases of laptops were of poor quality, the administration intends to distribute computers in a similar manner. The Prime Minister’s Laptop Scheme was a characteristic of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leadership in the higher education sector from 2013 to 2018.
. The programme has benefited thousands of students enrolled in degree, post-graduate, and research programmes at public institutions.
Previously, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hinted about resuming the free laptop programme for youth.
Last month, while speaking to a delegation of students from Harvard University in the United States, the Prime Minister claimed that the free laptops given to high achievers during the previous PMLN administration not only helped the students continue their education during COVID-19, but also helped Pakistan’s youth gain a strong foothold in the global freelance market.
Later, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs, said that the 2017 population census revealed that up to 50 million people in the country aged 15 to 29 may earn a lot of money by effectively using smartphones and computers.
It should be noted that prior pupils who received laptops were generally found complaining about the product’s low quality. The problem was not only with the quality of the electrical equipment, but also with the product itself.
The spare parts for the company’s laptops were not accessible on the market. According to a shopkeeper at Dubai Plaza, a renowned electronic market in Rawalpindi, a few specific spare parts centres previously used to ask students to pay a much higher price, and that too in advance, while asking them to wait for at least two to three months, citing a shortage from manufacturers.
“While importing or acquiring certain computers, the government should also assure the availability of spare parts and accessories in the nation for repair and maintenance of the thousands of dispersed laptops,” the laptop repairer said.