Ambassador Cyrill Nunn and HEC Chairperson Imtiaz Gilani shake hands after signing the agreement. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
The German government on Wednesday announced 200 scholarships worth Rs40 million for underprivileged graduate and undergraduate students from 10 Pakistani universities.
The announcement was made in a meeting between German Ambassador Cyrill Nunn and Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairperson Imtiaz Hussain Gilani under the HEC-German Needs-Based Scholarship Program.
The program will be executed in collaboration with HEC, Pakistan and will be opened for the students of 10 Pakistani universities in selected disciplines of social sciences, basic sciences, engineering and information technology.
The scholarships are meant for unprivileged students who, despite possessing academic merit, are unable to continue their studies because of financial constraints.
Nun said at least 30 per cent of the scholarships will be awarded to female students.
He further added that Germany would like to see the students availing the scholarships complete their studies and return to serve Pakistan.
He said many Pakistanis were already studying on their own in Germany in different fields.
The scholarships will cover tuition fee and other expenditures such as transportation, books, lodging and incidentals in the form of a monthly stipend for two years.
The participating universities are Quaid-e-Azam University, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Islamabad, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Government College University Lahore, University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar, Kohat University of Science and Technology, University of Haripur, Frontier Women University Peshawar, Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences, and Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University Quetta.
Achievements in higher education
Over 0.5 million laptops will be given to students in the next five years as part of the Prime Minister’s National Programme for Provision of Laptops to Talented Students.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Higher Education Commission (HEC) Executive Director Dr Mukhtar Ahmad and Acting HEC Chairman Imtiaz Hussain Gilani said that the distribution of laptops by the HEC will begin in February 2014.
The officials said that talks were underway with different companies to persuade them to set up local production lines to make the programme cost-effective besides linking the assembly line with academia.
They said that PhD, MPhil and MSc students will be given priority, followed by graduates with 60 per cent marks in HSSC.
Around 20 per cent of the laptops would be given to the students who are in their second, third, or final year of a four-year undergraduate programme, while 10 per cent will be given to students pursuing a two-year masters or bachelors programme.
The officials said that the laptops would be distributed among provinces on the basis of enrolments. Under the scheme, around 39.9 per cent of laptops would be distributed in Punjab, 21.9 per cent in Sindh, 17.1 per cent in Islamabad and FATA, 14 per cent in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 3.7 per cent in Balochistan, 2.3 per cent in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and 0.6 per cent in Gilgit-Baltistan.
In his presentation, Dr Ahmed said that enrolment in universities has increased manifold during the last five years. “During the last decade, the HEC has offered over 4,000 foreign scholarships and around 7,000 local scholarships,” he said.
While talking about placement and accommodation of fresh PhDs in universities, Dr Ahmed said that 1,498 scholars were currently engaged in the Interim Placement of PhDs programme. He said that a summary has been sent to prime minister to lift the ban on new recruitment.
“We are expecting a positive response. They will not be left in the lurch,” he said while talking about teachers the HEC had placed in universities under the interim placement programme.
The ED said that a mega project has been initiated to train around 3,500 non-teaching staff of universities from across Pakistan in the field of management. “Treasurers, registrars and other staffers would be part of this programme to train them to manage their resources within their means.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2013.
COMMENTS (41)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
I think the university given in lists are not according to the need base...... becuz in pakistan the students of Dawood university of engineering karachi are most poor students......studing their and student frm balocistan are nt their. so all these criteria are acceptable.
Not a single uiversity from sindh ....... Ku yahn py sub richi rich hy kiya.......
sir plz tell me abut the link from which i can download application form of this scholarship.
Sindh k log jahil nahe hain!!! Un ko bhe parhnay ka poora haq hai!!!! Agar Sindh k leye scholarships nahe to pooray Pakistan ko scholarship nahe milni chaheye!!!!
MOST RESPECTED SIR// Me WASIM SAJJAD have passed my metric from WISDOM HOUSE PUBLIC SCHOOL TIMERGARA with 77.5 percentage I want to take this scholarship study in the foren county so respected sir i serch your sight plz include my name in the scholarship I shall be very tankfull and wating for your reply
Asalam o Alaikum
I want to submit my protest against the act of HEC, not included any Sindh's Uniuversity in German Scholarships please if you are not satisfy with the education of Sindh then close our universities or rebuild their system.
What is the criteria for selection of those 10 universities? Why they are not allowing students of all Universities to participate in competition? The listed selection seems ridiculous.
Dear German Embassy and HEC Team
it is good news for the Pakistani peoples but where is the Sindh Provinces. Pleased consider this matter. Whenever HEC recognized the universities in Sindh, Then why?
I do hope this decision will revised by German Embassy soon as soon.
Dear German Embassy an HEC Management
This is good to know that Rs. 40 million will be given to needy students in Pakistan through german embassy. Sindh province has also one the top ranking HEC universities such LUMHS etc.
I hope, HEC and german embassy will reconsider their target areas and will also include universities from Sindh as well under this scheme
Must rethink about decision sham on German govt
Not for The University Of Swat???
This is ridiculous, I think this is not the first time that they are doing doing like this also they were doing it in the past. But now its enough. As well as I am requesting the peoples of Karachi that do raise your voice for sindh not for Karachi.
Sindh is ignored , specially universities of Karachi and Hyderabad.
Where r universities of Sindh????
there is no university from Karachi, what a discrimination
Why hec good ranking and quality providing universities like IIUI is not included in this Scholarship??is there no any underprivileged student studying in it??More than 30,ooo students from different parts of the countries are studying in it and more over it is the only university where there is a large number of foreign students are enrolled....i don't understood the criteria of including the 10 universities in this German scholarship??Is not the clear discrimination ????Hec has to overview on this..............
University of Sindh is the 2nd oldest university in Pakistan, why it is not included??? Is it justice?????
Do German government has any justice system with in their system??? i doublt ....!!!!! Don't GG has any selection critiria ??? .... I would ask concerned to revisit you decision & do not use money of German people on Pakistani elite student.
Not surprised at all, that no university from Sindh or Karachi featured in the list. It was a bright step taken by Musharaff to introduce HEC, but unfortunately the Sindh govt. made some changes in ordinance to alter the eduction in the province, and therefore we see this as a result. Sad part is that the party who thinks they own Karachi like MQM, said nothing about it or raised any doubts, instead they were busy protecting their leader. SHAME. This was bound to happen, Sindh govt. is very corrupt and useless.
Where is scholarship for Sindh & Baluchistan universities
Needy students are found in UET Lahore, GCU Lahore and in COMSATS Islamabad only! and not in Entire Sindh province or South Punjab! This was told to German Ambassador by HEC Chairman, on merit, I guess!
how to apply for the scholership programme???
Universities from Sindh and Southern Punjab should have been included in the scholarship program
Why there is no university from Sindh adn Baluchistan province? Is this justice? This is only lawless country where Punjab is at the top.
NO any one university of south Punjab is included why........?..........
why COMSATS lahore is not included??? is any one tell me that i can apply or not???????
where from we can found the relevant information and application form for applying to the scholarship
Great Opportunity
A great opprtunity for all derserving families and yes It looks like a descrimenatry. I think, we need to read original document about this agreement. How can we have that?
What is the criteria for selection of 10 universities for German Scholarship? IST (Institute of Space Technology) has 5th Rank in HEC Ranking .....The Scholarship should be according to HEC Ranking .............
wonderful opportunity for the students of participating universities rest all needy students needs to be quit over this particularly students of Sindh :// discrimination ://
Needy students like in Sahrif, Zardari and Gilani families ... no ?
I wonder what mechanism is put into practice while selecting these 10 universities. 02 universities from Islamabad, 02 universities from Punjab, 04 universities from KPK and 02 from Balochistan?
There is not a single university from the Sindh Province?
How come it could be need-based-scholarships for underprivileged students when two universities are selected from Islamabad where mostly privileged students get education.
from where can I find the official and complete details of the scholarship, including eligibility criteria and award benefits.
I didn't know whether Interior Sindh isn't under privileged! why don't you visit the independent report mentioning the worst situation prevailing in the province - Sindh...
http://www.alifailaan.pk/alifailaandistricteducationranking2013report
Not a single uni of Karachi is included in the list. Either ppl in Karachi are very rich or perhaps they don't deserve to be studying in the foreign unis.
Good news for Pakistani student who willing for higher studies in Germany but no offence there is no university from Karachi, feel like discrimination!!!