The second meeting of the Scholarship Management Committee, held at the HEC Secretariat on Wednesday, approved the cases of 300 shortlisted students from 11 institutions for Pakistan-US merit and needs based scholarships.
Chairing the meeting, Executive Director HEC Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi appreciated the collaborative efforts made by USAID for the education sector of Pakistan. He appreciated how USAID has supported HEC’s efforts to establish high-class educational centres, to build university-industry-government linkages, and internationally ranked universities, with trained faculties for increased research capacity.
Adviser Research and Development (HEC) Dr. Tariq Mahmood informed the members that the merit and needs based scholarship programme was started in 2004 in collaboration between HEC and USAID, which till date has provided 1,807 scholarships to talented and needy students. “Of these, 1400 students have completed their education and are working at local and multinational companies. In the first scholarship management committee of phase-II, 221 scholarships were awarded to meritorious students,” he said.
He further said, “The programme has been expanded to 31 universities, in the second phase it will help capture youth from low income households, who come under the net of higher education on a wider scale, thus increasing access and providing adequate opportunities to the less privileged youth.”
USAID Director Thomas Le Blanc told the members that the US government is committed to taking necessary steps to ensure that the country comes out of the challenges it faces.
“Under the second phase, the programme would provide financial assistance to approximately 3,000 needy youth in the next five years along with fully funded scholarships to the students of agriculture, medical, business, engineering in top universities of Pakistan. Fifty per cent of the scholarships are reserved for female students,” he said.
