FAISALABAD: As they graduate high school, some students, particularly those from privileged families, take for granted that they will not only find a place in but be able to afford a prestigious university.
However, for most students from middle to low income backgrounds, scholarships and stipends offered by universities, NGOs and higher education authorities are crucial if they are to secure a better future.
Sadly for such students who intend to pursue further education at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), competition for grants has just grown stiffer.
Owing to a shortage of funds, the institute has decided to cut down the number of awards for some scholarships and close down several others entirely, jeopardising the aspirations of many prospective students who cannot afford higher education.
UAF counts itself among the most highly rated public universities in Pakistan and is perhaps the top institute in Faisalabad. As such, it is a first choice for many students not only in the city it is located in but from as far and wide as South Punjab, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and even Afghanistan.
USEFP offers fully funded scholarships for Pakistani students
As many as 33,000 students are currently enrolled at UAF in more than 145 degree programmes in over 45 departments under seven faculties. For the 2018-19 session currently underway, the university offered scholarships to 7,435 students. The coming academic year, however, will see this number go down significantly.
For starters, the Higher Education Commission (HEC), which had been providing 601 scholarships, has reduced the awards to 157. The Punjab Endowment Fund, which up till now offered 1,300 scholarships, has reduced the awards even more drastically to 52.
The Chief Minister Scholarship, previously offered under the name Shehbaz Sharif Scholarship, has been closed down entirely. Meanwhile, the Rs20 million that UAF used to offer scholarships on merit has also been cut down.
Because of these dramatic cutbacks, the future of not only aspiring students but those that are currently enrolled at UAF on scholarships is in jeopardy. The parents of many UAF students who have completed two or more semesters are now worried as too how they will pay the university’s heavy fees once the scholarships are withdrawn.
“I don’t know what I will do,” said Aisha, an MSc Zoology student at UAF. “I secured a spot in the university after scoring high on the entry exam. I received a scholarship on merit.”
“But now that the scholarship is being withdrawn, my parents have told me they cannot afford my fees, especially in these times of rising inflation,” she lamented. Aisha urged the government to make arrangements so she and others like her could continue their studies.
“It is true that some funds have been halted and with them some scholarships. I’m very disturbed myself,” said UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ashraf. “I had a detailed meeting with the HEC chairman and I put forward the demand of funds before him. He is being contacted to bear the educational expenses of the students.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 8th, 2019.
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