The Fulbright commission has stipulated certain fields as ‘priority’ fields for applicants.
KARACHI: The Fulbright scholarship is one of the most prestigious scholarship programmes being operated in Pakistan. Hundreds of Pakistanis have got the chance to get high quality education in the best US universities at the expense of the American government. Indeed, this programme is the one bright spot in an otherwise distraught relationship between the two countries.
However, I want to highlight a troubling aspect about this programme. The Fulbright commission has stipulated certain fields as ‘priority’ fields for applicants. Currently, these fields include energy, water and agriculture. I believe this is unfair as all of these are science-related fields. Applicants with non-science backgrounds, like social sciences, commerce and business management, find this regime discriminatory. In my opinion, social sciences, commerce and business management are equally important for Pakistan’s development. I request the Fulbright commission to review this policy.
It is also requested that the date for this year’s submission of application forms be extended from May to June.
Saima Hussain
Published in The Express Tribune, April 10th, 2012.
