Position holder male students of Matriculation Examination 2012 (Annual) from all education boards of Punjab were presented with a guard of honor by a police contingent at the Punjab House, Murree.
The students reached there on a three-day recreational and study visit of Murree on the invitation of Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif.
A total of 48 male position holders attended the guard of honor ceremony.
Punjab Minister for Education, Excise & Taxation Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman represented Punjab CM on this occasion.
Director General (Protocol) Asjad Ghani, Protocol Officer Nadia Awan, Assistant Commisioner Manzoor Ahmed Chandio, Superintendant Police (SP) Murree and other officers of the administration were also present on this occasion.
According to schedule, the high achievers would visit Patriata, Bhurban, Government House, Murree and other important picnic spots in Murree and adjoining areas, besides enjoying the scenic views of the hill station from a chair lift and soft wheel train during their three-day stay in the beautiful town.
They would be accorded protocol of a “State Guest” during their stay, the objective of which would be to encourage the students and acknowledge their talent and high achievements.
The Punjab education minister, while addressing the occasion said the promotion of education was essential and vital for the eradication of ignorance and poverty. He said that for the first time in the history of Pakistan, the Punjab CM adopted the policy of merit and took unprecedented steps for the promotion of education.
The minister said the high achieving students of matriculation and intermediate examinations of the boards were awarded with cash prizes. They were offered a recreational trip of Murree, while laptops were also being distributed among the students with a view to encourage them and promote an atmosphere of competition among them in pursuit of higher education.
He further said that the students were also offered foreign trips to provide them with opportunities of visiting various world renowned universities.
Similarly, 40,000 students had been provided scholarships for higher education in national and international universities under the Punjab Education Endowment Fund (PEEF), he added.
Shuja-ur-Rehman congratulated the successful students on their success and high achievements in the examination.
The students while expressing their emotions on the occasion said that they were highly delighted by the visit to the hilly town. They said that they had been inspired by the encouraging gesture of the Punjab government and they pledged that they would further their hard work for acquiring knowledge and would strive to show excellent results in their future academic career.
