KP to revive Ehsaas scholarships, expand university funding, says CM

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Wednesday announced that the provincial government would revive the Ehsaas Scholarship Programme from its own resources, increase financial support for public universities and introduce an internship policy aimed at improving employment prospects for graduates.
Addressing the convocation of the University of Peshawar, the chief minister said education and youth development remained central to the provincial government’s agenda, describing young people as the country’s “most valuable asset” and key to its future.
He said the provincial government had cleared all pending pension liabilities of public universities accumulated between 2017 and June 2026 and reduced the financial deficit of higher education institutions from around Rs9 billion to Rs4.5bn through administrative and financial reforms.
Mr Afridi said the government’s financial assistance to public universities had been increased from Rs10bn in the previous fiscal year to Rs12bn in the current budget to help institutions improve academic standards, research and financial stability.
Recalling the federal government’s Ehsaas Scholarship Programme introduced during the PTI government, he regretted that the initiative had been discontinued despite benefiting thousands of deserving students from underdeveloped areas.
He announced that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government would relaunch the programme using provincial resources to ensure that no talented student was deprived of higher education because of financial constraints.
The chief minister also said the government was providing interest-free educational loans to students pursuing higher studies abroad as well as those unable to afford tuition fees at domestic institutions.
He added that an internship policy had been finalised and would be announced shortly to provide graduates with practical training and improve their employment opportunities.
Highlighting broader governance reforms, Mr Afridi claimed the provincial government had increased its own revenues to more than Rs150bn in fiscal year 2025-26 without imposing new taxes, attributing the increase to improved financial management, transparency and administrative reforms.
He said provincial revenues had risen from Rs92bn in 2024-25 to over Rs150bn in the following fiscal year against a target of Rs129bn.
The chief minister criticised the federal government’s economic policies, saying sustainable economic recovery could not be achieved by increasing the tax burden on the public alone. Instead, he called for measures to promote investment, industry, trade and employment.
Mr Afridi said constitutional supremacy, democratic governance and respect for the public mandate were essential for the country’s political stability and economic recovery. He also urged state institutions to operate within their constitutional limits.
He maintained that despite being a major producer of electricity and natural gas, the province continued to face load-shedding and shortages, and called for implementation of constitutional provisions guaranteeing priority access to locally produced natural resources.
The chief minister also urged students to remain engaged in national affairs alongside their academic pursuits and encouraged them to work towards strengthening democratic values and constitutional governance. He congratulated graduating students and expressed hope that they would contribute to the country’s development through their professional and academic achievements.