ISLAMABAD: In the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, higher education is expected to receive a share of Rs. 45 billion; however, this sum is expected to rise even more.
In the budget 2023–2024, Rs45 billion has been set aside for initiatives related to higher education. However, this sum is anticipated to rise in the final allocations that will be made public in a week.
According to documents, this amount would be used for 152 various initiatives, including the laptop program. The Higher Education Commission’s 14 new and 138 ongoing initiatives are also included in the budget document.
According to the documents, the Rs12 billion funds are also allocated for phase three of the Prime Minister’s Youth Laptop program. In the next financial year, Rs68 million are set to be issued to the laptop scheme.
A National Cyber Security Academy will also likely be launched for Rs600 million.
The budget for higher education also includes a Rs7.39 billion worth Pakistan-China joint research center project.
According to the documents, the budget includes several projects to upgrade public universities nationwide. The scheme would make facilities available at Narowal University and Nawaz Sharif University Multan.
According to the documents, a project for providing higher education to the students of former tribal areas and Balochistan is also part of the budget, which will cost Rs 3 billion.
The budget includes the Kamyab Jawan Talent Hunt project, the Prime Minister’s National Innovation Award, and the Pak-US Merit-Based Scholarship Program.
The document showed that a sub-project of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program, ‘the Green Youth Movement,’ is also included in the upcoming budget.
According to the documents, the University of Baltistan will be established in Skardu, and the students of Gwadar will be awarded scholarships.
The budget documents also mention an Allama Iqbal Scholarship Award for 3,000 Afghan students and the potential establishment of Kamyab Jawan sports academies. The budget documents also mention the establishment of FATA University.
