The School Education Department, Government of Punjab, in collaboration with Tech Valley (Google for Education Partner), has inaugurated Punjab’s first Google for Education Center of Excellence at Government Pilot Higher Secondary School, Lahore. The initiative marks a major step toward realizing the Chief Minister’s vision of making Punjab the AI Hub of Pakistan.
Equipped with Chromebooks by Intel, Allied, and NRTC, the center will serve as a reference school for the provincial government, where best practices, scalable models, and research around Google’s AI-powered education tools will be studied and implemented across all public schools.
Transforming classrooms with AI
The launch, officiated by Rana Sikandar Hayat, Minister of School Education Punjab, represents a policy-level commitment to transform public education through artificial intelligence.
Key features of the initiative include:
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Gemini AI in Classrooms: Using Google Workspace with Gemini to help students and teachers write, visualize, and collaborate more effectively.
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AI Tutoring with Read Along: An AI-powered reading buddy to support English language learning and provide teachers with real-time progress tracking.
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Data-Driven Policy: Student-specific Google IDs to offer policymakers anonymized insights into learning outcomes for shaping curriculum and pedagogy.
“This is about more than technology—it’s about ensuring every student, regardless of background, has access to AI-powered education,” said Rana Sikandar Hayat.
Building teacher capacity for the AI era
Beyond technology deployment, the center will also serve as a teacher training hub through the Gemini Academy for Educators, preparing teachers to integrate AI tools responsibly and effectively in classrooms.
“By piloting AI adoption here, Punjab will lead the way in showing how digital innovation can make education more inclusive, effective, and scalable,” said Umar Farooq, CEO of Tech Valley.
A collaborative milestone for education reform
The inauguration was attended by senior policymakers and education leaders, including Khalid Nazir Wattoo (Secretary, School Education Punjab), Paul Hutchings (GM, Google for Education, Greater Asia), and Umar Farooq (CEO, Tech Valley).
The event featured hands-on demonstrations and a panel discussion on AI in classrooms, with participation from global Google representatives and Pakistani education leaders including Tim Paolini (ChromeOS, APAC & EMEA), Ali Raza (CEO, The Educators), and Ayesha Amir (Director, Lahore Grammar School).
The Minister’s leadership in launching this center signals Punjab’s strong political commitment to educational reform, setting the foundation for a modern, AI-driven learning ecosystem that bridges the gap between public and private education.