Opportunities that weren’t even in their dreams suddenly become possible
81 students from FATA score A’s and A-plusses in their 9th classes.
ISLAMABAD:
Despite living in one of the country’s most unstable areas, 81 students on USAID scholarships in FATA managed to score A’s and A-plusses in their ninth grade board examination (SSC Part 1 examination).
Five of them got A+ by scoring over 490 out of 525 marks (A+ begins at 420 marks), while the others too managed to secure at least an A grade. The students were educated and tested through a US-funded scholarship programme that started in 2008 but was not fully implemented till April last year.
In 2008, 1,363 boys and girls from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) were enrolled in the scholarship programme to complete their secondary, vocational or college-level education.
Of these, 1,180 students successfully completed their education under that programme, while the remaining 183 students were transferred to a new project under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The certificate and award ceremony on Tuesday was held to congratulate all 81 ninth graders who cleared their exams. The remaining 102 students are still in junior classes.
The students were awarded certificates by the US Ambassador’s wife, Dr Marilyn Wyatt, who commented, “Without education, achieving sustainable human development remains an illusion.”
One of the toppers also echoed Wyatt’s sentiment, saying that even though the male to female ratio of scholarship receipts is high, he is very happy to see that his female counterparts are getting the same opportunities. “It is another step in development for us to be studying with our sisters and to be able to visit a major city like Islamabad,” he added.
Other students noted that after the destruction of schools in their areas, they could only hope to go back to the classroom one day. The possibility of studying in English-medium schools did not even “arise in our dreams”. They hope that the leap from Urdu-medium to English-medium schools will help them be more competitive with students all over Pakistan and give them a shot at upward mobility.
Recipients were given a stipend, book allowance, and reimbursement of admission and tuition fees. Scholarships are being disbursed incrementally either through direct payments to students or through transfers to their schools. The remaining scholarships will be paid by March 2013.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 11th, 2012.
Despite living in one of the country’s most unstable areas, 81 students on USAID scholarships in FATA managed to score A’s and A-plusses in their ninth grade board examination (SSC Part 1 examination).
Five of them got A+ by scoring over 490 out of 525 marks (A+ begins at 420 marks), while the others too managed to secure at least an A grade. The students were educated and tested through a US-funded scholarship programme that started in 2008 but was not fully implemented till April last year.
In 2008, 1,363 boys and girls from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) were enrolled in the scholarship programme to complete their secondary, vocational or college-level education.
Of these, 1,180 students successfully completed their education under that programme, while the remaining 183 students were transferred to a new project under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The certificate and award ceremony on Tuesday was held to congratulate all 81 ninth graders who cleared their exams. The remaining 102 students are still in junior classes.
The students were awarded certificates by the US Ambassador’s wife, Dr Marilyn Wyatt, who commented, “Without education, achieving sustainable human development remains an illusion.”
One of the toppers also echoed Wyatt’s sentiment, saying that even though the male to female ratio of scholarship receipts is high, he is very happy to see that his female counterparts are getting the same opportunities. “It is another step in development for us to be studying with our sisters and to be able to visit a major city like Islamabad,” he added.
Other students noted that after the destruction of schools in their areas, they could only hope to go back to the classroom one day. The possibility of studying in English-medium schools did not even “arise in our dreams”. They hope that the leap from Urdu-medium to English-medium schools will help them be more competitive with students all over Pakistan and give them a shot at upward mobility.
Recipients were given a stipend, book allowance, and reimbursement of admission and tuition fees. Scholarships are being disbursed incrementally either through direct payments to students or through transfers to their schools. The remaining scholarships will be paid by March 2013.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 11th, 2012.