Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday unveiled Pakistan’s first-ever National Youth Policy, announcing a series of initiatives focused on education, employment, entrepreneurship and digital skills for the country’s young population.
Speaking at an International Youth Day ceremony in Islamabad, the prime minister announced a 35% quota for women in the labour force and a 10% quota for young people seeking to establish startups.
The policy aims to shift the focus from conventional employment toward entrepreneurship while expanding opportunities for young Pakistanis.
Under the new education initiatives, the government will send 1,000 Pakistani students to China at state expense to study Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence.
The initiative builds on last year’s programme, under which Pakistani students were sent to China for advanced agricultural education.
The government will also distribute 250,000 additional Chromebooks to students this year. Prime Minister Shehbaz said that 700,000 laptops have already been distributed on merit, without recommendations.
He described the laptop initiative as a mission aimed at expanding digital access among young people.
The prime minister also highlighted government efforts to reduce the education gap between children from wealthy and disadvantaged families.
He said the Daanish Schools network has expanded across Punjab and is now being extended to Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and Balochistan, where students will receive free education.
According to Shehbaz Sharif, the quality of education at these institutions will be comparable to leading private schools, ensuring talented students from low-income families have access to quality education.
Prime Minister Shehbaz also announced that Daanish University Islamabad is expected to become operational next year, with classes scheduled to begin during the same year.
The university will focus on technical and modern fields, while admissions will be based on merit. The initiative is intended to provide talented students with access to quality higher education regardless of their financial background.
The prime minister said that while Pakistan was created by its elders in 1947, the country’s youth would determine what Pakistan becomes by 2047.
The first National Youth Policy places education, technology, entrepreneurship, digital access and equal opportunity at the centre of the government’s youth development agenda.
