Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP), revealed plans for a groundbreaking education model on Monday, aiming to set a new benchmark for Pakistan and the wider Asian region.
Speaking at a consultative session held at the University of Swat under the framework of the National Adolescent and Youth Policy and the inauguration of the PM Sports Talent Hunt, Mashhood explained that the proposed model would offer young Pakistanis a diverse range of career opportunities. These would include vocational training in areas like driving, carpentry, and electrical work, along with professional fields such as nursing, accountancy, engineering, IT, and sports.
Mashhood provided a comprehensive overview of the PMYP and the government’s ongoing initiatives to engage youth and develop their skills. He also announced the upcoming second phase of the Talent Hunt Programme, which will expand to include athletics, hockey, boxing, and other sports, offering full support to selected athletes with world-class training and facilities. Top performers would be provided with boxing kits, track suits, accessories, and kit bags to support their development, with opportunities to represent Pakistan on national and international platforms.
In addition to sports initiatives, Mashhood highlighted other youth empowerment efforts such as the Laptop Scheme, Green Youth Movement, Innovation Awards, and several other projects. These initiatives aim to foster opportunities for education, skills development, leadership, and health—both physical and mental.
“We want every young person in Pakistan to be healthy, educated, self-reliant, and optimistic. This is our mission, and we are fully committed to making this vision a reality,” Mashhood stated.
The PMYP’s four key pillars, known as the “4Es” – Education, Engagement, Employment, and Environment – were emphasized. Mashhood underscored the importance of engagement, offering youth diverse opportunities to explore their talents in innovation, science and technology, arts, culture, and sports. He also noted that, for the first time, students from madrassas were included in such initiatives to ensure inclusivity and equal opportunities for all youth, regardless of their background.
Mashhood also introduced the Digital Youth Hub (DYH), a “One-Stop Shop” platform under PMYP. The platform, powered by AI, provides personalized opportunities in education, employment, engagement, and environmental issues based on users’ skills, education, and experience. The DYH is accessible via both iOS and Android devices and can be visited on its website: www.pmyp.gov.com.
Reflecting on his previous tenure as Punjab’s Education Minister, Mashhood recalled the launch of the Punjab Education Endowment Fund (PEEF), which provided merit-based scholarships to underprivileged youth. He expressed pride in the fact that more than 450,000 scholarships had been distributed through PEEF, significantly changing the lives of many students. Building on this success, Mashhood pointed out that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expanded this vision to the entire country by introducing the Pakistan Education Endowment Fund (PEEF), offering similar scholarship opportunities nationwide.
Mashhood also supported remarks by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Swat, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and equal opportunities for youth from all backgrounds.
