ISLAMABAD: The world’s first fee-free university will be operational the next month in Pakistan with 600 students enrolled for three different master degrees.
Dr Mohammed Amjad Saqib, executive director of Akhuwat, a micro-finance firm offering interest-free loans, told the Khaleej Times that the institute would be opened in Kasur, a district near Lahore on August 14, 2018.
“We are establishing the first fee-free university in Pakistan where students will not have to pay any fee. This is some kind of long-term interest-free loans. First you get education, and pay after 5, 10 or 20 years, when you are able to return it; because remember that you got the education but didn’t pay for it; but now when you have a job you can pay so that somebody else can also benefit,” he said.
Dr Amjad Saqib said that education was ultimate solution of all problems. “We can’t progress and compete with the international community unless we are ahead in education. But it is a pity that a boy coming from a poor family may be able to complete 10-year education but can’t receive higher education. We are not doing justice with our talent,” he said.
He pointed out that this residential university will be a national institute where 20 per cent of the students will come from each province of Pakistan. Akhuwat is already running a fee-free college in Lahore, housing more than 300 students from all the provinces.
The college offers pre-medical, pre-engineering and ICT courses. To get entry into the college, a student must obtain 75 per cent marks in matriculation examinations followed by an examination conducted at the college.
