PM Youth Chromebook Scheme Launched: 500,000 Students to Receive Chromebooks and Internet Devices
Islamabad (Daily Qudrat) — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday officially launched the “Prime Minister Youth Chromebook Scheme” at the Convention Centre in Islamabad, under which 500,000 Chromebooks and internet devices will be distributed among talented students across the country. According to the government, all these Chromebooks will be distributed purely on merit over the next two years.
At the launch ceremony, the Prime Minister distributed Chromebooks and MiFi internet devices among students who secured prominent marks in the ninth grade and students of religious seminaries.
According to sources, each student is being given a Chromebook along with a bag and a MiFi device so that they can benefit from online education, e-libraries, and other digital resources from home.
The scheme is being run jointly by the Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training and the Prime Minister’s Youth Program, while the Chromebooks are being provided by the Tokyo Technology Care Foundation, which has signed a memorandum of understanding with the government in this regard.
According to Geo News and Pro Pakistani, the Chromebooks being distributed are not new but “refurbished” devices, i.e., reconditioned after repair and testing.
What Is a Chromebook?
A Chromebook is a lightweight laptop that runs on Google’s Chrome OS operating system. It mostly uses web-based apps, making it suitable for online classes, research, assignments, document preparation, and educational websites.
Since most of its utility is linked to the internet, an internet device has also been included with the Chromebook in the scheme.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan announced that 500,000 students will also be given high-speed internet connections along with the Chromebooks. He said that one connection can benefit up to five people, thus providing digital access to approximately 2.5 million people across the country.
Who Will Receive the Chromebooks?
According to the official portal of the Inter Board Coordination Commission (IBCC), only students from government schools under the educational boards of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan who secured prominent marks in the ninth grade (SSC-I) in the 2026 annual examinations will be eligible.
From the boards of Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, prominent students of both ninth and tenth grades will be considered.
According to officials, students will be ranked on the basis of SSC-I results, which will be verified by the IBCC, and a minimum of 50 percent marks will be required. Selection will be made separately within each province or region, educational board, and group until the prescribed quota is fulfilled.
Students of registered religious seminaries are also included in the scheme, and their scrutiny will be conducted separately through the Directorate General of Religious Education.
A special notice has also been issued on the portal for Sindh students that their registration will be opened on the same portal after the announcement of the 2026 annual ninth-grade results by all educational boards of Sindh.
Provincial and Regional Quotas
Of the 500,000 Chromebooks, Punjab will receive 181,090, Sindh 85,925, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 51,170, and Balochistan 31,815 devices. One hundred thousand Chromebooks are allocated for Islamabad, while 25,000 each are allocated for Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Within each province and region, four out of every five devices will go to school students and one to seminary students.
In the schools’ share, a 70 percent quota is reserved for science students and 30 percent for arts students.
How to Apply?
The entire application process is online, using the IBCC’s official portal pmychromebooks.ibcc.edu.pk. A student must first select their educational board, then enter either their CNIC or B-Form number, roll number or registration number, and date of birth to search for their record.
Once the record is found, the name, school, and marks appear automatically from the list provided by the board.
After that, the student must upload a recent color photograph, the ninth or tenth-grade mark sheet, a verified copy of the B-Form or CNIC, and a verified copy of the parent or guardian’s CNIC. Each file must not exceed 300 kilobytes.
Each student can apply only once, and the form cannot be changed after submission; however, a reference number and slip are provided, which must be kept safe. If the record is not found, the relevant educational board must be contacted. Students should use only the official portal and must not share their information on any unofficial website or message.
How Will the Device Reach Home?
According to officials, after the merit list is finalized, the serial number of each Chromebook will be linked to the relevant student’s name, and the device will be sent via courier directly to the verified student’s home. A central monitoring system will keep a record of each device’s dispatch, delivery, failed attempt, and receipt confirmation.
Committees will be established at the educational board and provincial levels to address complaints, including those regarding non-inclusion in the merit list, verification of registration, examination data, and non-receipt of devices.
نئے منصوبے کے تحت 5 لاکھ کروم بکس صرف 2 سال میں پورے پاکستان کے قابل ترین طلباء و طالبات میں تقسیم کیے جائیں گے۔ اس منصوبے کیلئے عطیہ دینے پر ٹوکیو کیئر فاؤنڈیشن کے بانی راشد منہاس کا شکریہ ادا کرتا ہوں۔
~ وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف کا پرائم منسٹرز یوتھ کروم بکس سکیم کی افتتاحی تقریب سے خطاب
#PMYouthChromebookScheme
— Prime Minister’s Office (@PakPMO) October 25, 2026
After the first year, repair and maintenance of the Chromebooks will be handled by a company contracted for the purpose.
What Was Said at the Ceremony?
In his address, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the Chromebooks are being given in recognition of students’ hard work and ability, and no discrimination will be made on the basis of anyone’s economic background or institution.
He said that in the past laptop scheme, 600,000 laptops were given over ten years, whereas now the target is to distribute 500,000 Chromebooks in two years. The Prime Minister also thanked Rashid Minhas, head of the Tokyo Technology Care Foundation, for donating to the scheme.
Background
On the occasion of International Youth Day in August, the Prime Minister had announced that 250,000 prominent students would be given Chromebook laptops this year, while the overall target of the scheme has now been set at 500,000. Earlier, in November 2025, Pakistan’s first Chromebook assembly line was inaugurated in Haripur in collaboration with Google, with an annual production capacity planned to reach 500,000 Chromebooks by 2026.
Date of Publication: 2026-10-25
