Maryam advocates prioritising girls education

Express Tribune

13-04-2025

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Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Saturday forcefully advocated the right to education for every single child while proposing forming educational policy, teaching strategies and measures for promoting education with mutual cooperation.
She addressed the fourth edition of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2025, delivering a powerful speech centred on education reforms, women's empowerment, and global unity.
"Every child should enter school, stay in school and achieve success," said the chief minister in her historic speech titled, "Revolutionary Power of Education" at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2025.
She added, "Vision of Friends of Education is to promote dignified diplomacy for the welfare of people, not the state."
The chief minister invited top Turkish universities to establish campuses in Punjab, and said, "Turkish institutions should establish top centers for youth in Punjab."
She added, "Mutual partnership with Turkiye and exchange program will lay the foundation for a bright future."
She highlighted, "We want a future that not only Pakistan but also the future generations of Turkiye could be proud of."
The Punjab chief minister said, "Collectively, we can do anything that seems difficult individually."
She added, "Convening the Anatolian Diplomacy Forum under the leadership of the Turkish First Lady is a welcome development."
She underscored, "The Anatolian Diplomacy Forum is a successful model of women's leadership. Together, we can solve all problems."
She noted, "Success stories echo in other countries too. I am serving as a female Chief Minister in Pakistan's largest province."
She said, "Revolutionary reforms are the foundation of our education policy."
She added, "Education, justice, dignity and equal opportunities for women and children are our top priority."
She underscored, "I want a unique style of governance in Punjab that is effective in every way."
The chief minister said, "Social injustices deprive children of the right to explore their full potential."
She added, "Education is not just a department but an expression of hope." She flagged, "We started the reforms from schools. Three-time Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and three-time Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif laid a solid foundation for development and reforms in Punjab."
She said, "The brilliant achievements of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif in the fields of education, health, infrastructure and social development are a beacon of light for me."
She added, "As the chief minister, I was not only faced with the improvement of buildings in educational institutions, but also with the challenge of changing the traditional thinking."
She remarked, "The changing technology and education demand effective educational reforms. By the grace of Allah Almighty, school education reforms have begun in Punjab in a historic way. The aim of educational reforms in Punjab is not only literacy but also the learning freedom and a bright future."
She highlighted, "I am directly supervising the educational reforms to make them effective. More than 4,000 primary schools across the province are being upgraded to elementary level. The aim of elementary upgradation of primary schools is the continuation of children's education after the fifth grade."
She said, "Digital learning rooms are being set up in 6,000 schools to combine technology and education. The time of blackboard, chalk and duster is over, now Punjab students will learn science and technology through digital screens."
She added, "I consider myself not only the Chief Minister of Punjab but also the ambassador of education. I think of myself as a mother of every student of Punjab especially for the girls' education."
She underscored, "My mission is to eradicate poverty; no child should be left behind due to gender; backward areas or social barriers."
Madam Chief Minister noted, "School Nutrition Program is successfully underway to address malnutrition in students especially girls in remote and under-served districts of Punjab."
She said, "Girl students are most affected by the problem of malnutrition. It gives me pleasure that malnourished children in Punjab schools are receiving milk packs daily."
She added, "Reforms in education are not limited to just curriculum or teaching materials, but the qualifications of the teacher are also important. After years, regular recruitment of teachers is being started in Punjab. 30,000 new teachers are being recruited in Punjab purely on merit basis and with complete transparency." She flagged, "A permanent institution has been established for the training of teachers and preparation of curriculum. Focus is being given on teacher training and curriculum development to align them with the educational goals of the new century."
She said, "The center and axis of educational reforms in Punjab are only students. A learning model is being introduced keeping in mind the individual needs of each student. Work is being done on an educational platform according to the ability of each student using artificial intelligence."
She added, "An Internet city named after her father is being built. Pakistan's first Artificial Intelligence University is also being established in the heart of Punjab."
She narrated the story of two students from Punjab that personally affected her a lot. She said, "Nida's letter from a village of Kasur, based on her desire to acquire knowledge, inspired me to start 'Honahar' (Meritorious) Scholarship Program."
She added, "Nida and her young husband were unable to bear the educational expenses, but they continued to dream of getting education. Nida, on receiving Honahar Scholarship, was the first girl in her family to reach university. The Meritorious Scholarship Program has been established for 50,000 hardworking and capable students of Punjab to acquire higher education without worrying for the dues. I feel proud that 50% of the merit scholarships are given to female students."
She said, "Daughters are not just students but also future leaders, scientists and builders of the nation." She lamented, "Akram's father from south Punjab had to sell his only source of income to pay the fees for one semester because Mohammad Akram's father did not have money to pay the fees for the second semester."
She highlighted, "Thanks to the merit scholarship, students like Akram can continue their education. The 2,000 students who received the merit scholarships are those who have been deprived of the shadow of their father's kindness, and the parents of 91 children are not alive."
She noted, "Meritorious Scholarship is not just a statistic, but there are unimaginable painful stories behind it. Every child does not just come to class to study, but also brings sorrows of life and dreams. These heart-touching stories of Merit Scholarships are creating a new light of hope. With Merit scholarships, we are laying the foundation of a new future."
Madam Chief Minister said, "Education can give us strength, pride, hope and the foundation of a bright future. Education is the greatest force that establishes social equality."
She added, "The challenges we face are not limited to borders, but we think about the Palestinian mothers searching for their children under the rubble. We also have to think about the Afghan girls and the Sudanese refugees who are deprived of schools. Chains of prejudice, Kashmiri children who broke the law are a test of our conscience and a crisis of humanity."
She highlighted, "Turkiye has provided a valuable opportunity to think about children's education. Turkish First Lady H.E Eiman Erdogan is convinced about children through dignified diplomacy."
She vowed, "The people of Punjab and I reiterate our moral support for children and women in difficulty. We will be the voice of the helpless classes in the halls of power and on the streets. Anatolia Diplomacy Forum is not just carrying the burden of performance but also the weight of history."
Turkish president
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif met Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and First Lady Emine Erdogan during her visit to Antalya, Turkiye.
President Erdogan warmly welcomed the chief minister and thanked her for participating in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2025, Express News reported.
He inquired about the health of her father Nawaz Sharif and expressed his best wishes.
Maryam Nawaz conveyed a message of goodwill from her father and thanked the Turkish president for extending the invitation to attend the forum.
Earlier, Maryam Nawaz also held a special meeting with Turkey's First Lady, Emine Erdogan. Both leaders discussed matters of mutual interest and exchanged messages of goodwill.