Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has announced that one lakh free electric bikes will be distributed to students across the province, as part of a wider package of education reforms unveiled during a ceremony in Arifwala.
The chief minister said the initiative was aimed at supporting students who lacked access to reliable transport, allowing them to travel to and from school safely and independently. She linked the announcement to the government’s broader push to expand green transport options, noting that the scope of green electric buses for students was also being increased to ensure safe and comfortable commutes.
Maryam Nawaz said the government carried responsibility for 130 million people of Punjab and for lakhs of students, which was why education and student welfare had been made top priorities. She said facilities such as the electric bikes and buses were intended to remove barriers that prevented children, particularly those from low-income families, from continuing their education.
The announcement came alongside a series of other student-focused measures. The chief minister said one lakh laptops and 50,000 merit scholarships would be provided to students, while Rs40 billion was being spent to upgrade basic facilities in public schools across Punjab, including new classrooms, furniture, washrooms, clean drinking water and fans.
She said the government was also establishing science, technology, mathematics, computer and IT labs in public schools, along with artificial intelligence labs being set up for the first time, so that students in Punjab could access modern fields of study on par with children in developed countries.
Maryam Nawaz urged students to take pride in studying at public schools, saying the government was committed to providing the same facilities available at expensive private institutions. She described education as the greatest equalising force in society and said the electric bike scheme, alongside other transport and infrastructure initiatives, reflected the governments intent to remove practical obstacles to schooling.
The chief minister said the measures were part of a larger transformation of the education sector in Punjab, noting that 300 modern schools would soon be established across the province in addition to Nawaz Sharif Schools planned for every tehsil.
