Like in many other foreign education institutions, students from Jamia Al Azhar Egypt were also faced with serious financial crises when the Higher Education Commission (HEC) halted stipends in the wake of the 18th Amendment. With the passage of the 18th amendment in the national constitution, education became a provincial subject, and the federal government halted all stipends to students getting higher and professional education in foreign universities and institutions. In this respect, HEC also lost its influence and was unable to continue financial assistance through stipends to students. Mohammad Tufail, a student recently enrolled in Jamia Al Azhar Egypt, told Pakistan Today on the telephone that there were 19 students from Pakistan currently enrolled at the university. He said that since the middle of 2010, students studying at Jamia Al Azhar had been denied stipends by Pakistani authorities, causing numerous problems. In response to a question, Tufail, a resident of Swabi, informed Pakistan Today that there were thousands of students from 105 countries from all over the world. All these students except those from Pakistan were getting a handsome amount in stipends from their native countries of origin. Likewise, the Egyptian government also provided pocket money (200 Egypt Pounds which equal RS 3,200) on a monthly basis to all students. But this amount, he said was too meager and couldn’t address all the financial needs of students. Tufail said that all the 19 students were from poor families, therefore, he requested Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to take an early notice of the matter. He said that without government support, it was very hard for them to continue education. Officials at HEC, when contacted, have confirmed the halting of stipends not only to students of Jamia Al Azhar
Egypt, but also to students at several other foreign universities and education institutions. According to an HEC official, the federal government had reduced budgets and therefore financial support to students seeking higher education abroad was affected.
