PESHAWAR: The federal government is providing scholarship to 49,000 students from Fata every year,including1,475 youths enrolled in cadet colleges, said Fata social sector department secretary Yousaf Raheem on Wednesday.

During a ceremony held here to distribute laptops among students from tribal agencies with KP Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra in the chair, the secretary also said 2,000 students from tribal areas were getting free education in various institutions under the patronage of the 11 Corps of the Pakistan Army.

On the occasion, laptops were given away to high-achieving students from Fata under the Prime Minister`s Laptop Scheme.

The secretary said efforts were under way to provide quality education to the studentsin Fata.

He said a chain of cadet colleges, Army Public Schools and governor`s model schools were being established in the region.

Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said he was sure that availability of all such scholarships to the respective students would be based on merit.

He said the people across the world achieved development and prosperity by equipping them with quality knowledge in line with the latest needs.

`With this aim in mind, the gov-ernment is taking concrete steps to enable Fata youths to avail themselves of betterfacilities oflearning like other parts of the country. The youths of Fata are second to none and have the ability to come up to the nation`s expectations,` he said.

The governor said solid steps were being taken to ensure rapid progress in every walk of life with a special priority to enable all children of the region to get education.

`To overcome the problem of shortage of teachers in Fata`s educational institutions, fresh recruitments are being made,` he said.

Congratulating youths for securing laptops, the governor said suchachievements at the national level would enable them to contribute to the country`s development as mainstream partners.

He also mentioned the achievements of the government in the rehabilitation programme and said almost 97 per cent of the internally displaced persons had already returned, while the rest would follow suit soon.

The governor said to ensure the region`s mainstreaming in the overall national development and progress, the Fata reforms process was progressing and that it would be completed in the due course of time.