Endowment fund: GCUF students provided Rs40 million scholarships since 2008

VC says higher education rate in Pakistan is as low as six per cent.

FAISALABAD:

The Government College University Faisalabad (GCUF) has provided Rs40 million scholarships under the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund (PEEF) since 2008, the participants of an awareness seminar at the university were told on Wednesday.

Speaking at the event, arranged by the university’s student financial assistance office and the students’ affairs directorate, GCUF Vice Chancellor Dr Zakir Hussain said that Pakistan was blessed with talent and skills. It was a matter of concern therefore that the higher education rate in Pakistan was as low as six per cent.

He said scholarships such those provided by the PEEF were steps in provision of opportunities for the students seeking to pursue higher education.

He praised the government’s efforts in the field of education particularly mentioning the Rs10 billion PEEF, the Daanish Schools, the Youth Festival and distribution of laptops.

He said a country’s youth needed to be equipped with state-of-the-art knowledge. He also briefly mentioned the on-going work on the new GCUF campus in the city. It would be completed in three phases, he said.

PEEF manager Nasir Subhani said that the Fund had provided scholarships to 50,000 students since its inception.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2013.