Hope for the poor: Sukkur IBA’s talent programme hunts down students for free education

Selected students have to complete a foundation semester to qualify for the scholarship.

SUKKUR: An opportunity to receive education at the Sukkur Institute of Business Administration (IBA) was made available to students from low-income backgrounds after the institute introduced the Talent Hunt Programme in 2009, under which deserving students can obtain free education, books, accommodation and a monthly stipend.

Mahnoor Gul’s father is a retired government servant and earns Rs4,000 monthly pension. The family has also rented out a portion of their house to make ends meet. Mahnoor, a resident of Khairpur, has completed matriculation from Saint Theresa School and intermediate studies from Higher Secondary School Kot Diji. Being a position holder in her school and college, she always dreamt about pursuing higher education at a renowned institute.



“When I first applied to Sukkur IBA, my parents had to sell my mother’s jewellery to arrange Rs55,000, but I couldn’t get admission,” she said. Once again, she applied through the Talent Hunt Programme in 2011 and was selected. Gul is a student of BE fourth semester and wants to support her parents after completing her studies. Besides, free education and books, Gul is getting Rs27,000 stipend per semester.

Avinash, a student of BBA fourth semester hails, from Kandhkot. His father manages to earn Rs30,000 per month by running his own sanitary store. “I wanted to become a doctor but failed to qualify in the entry test of Chandka Medical College in Larkana,” he said.

He was selected under the Talent Hunt Programme in 2012 with 300 other students. He studied basic courses, including English, Mathematics and General Knowledge - mandatory foundation semester courses - for five months, he said.

In first semester, he was ranked among the top five students and was awarded a laptop by the institute, he added. He wants to join a multinational company and then go for his MBA. “At first I felt shy, because I belonged to a backward area, but then I came to realise that there is no discrimination among the students.”

Shafaq Siddiqui belongs to Sukkur and studies BSc Computer Science. She was also selected under the programme in 2011 and is receiving free education and a stipend of Rs25,000 per semester.

“Earlier, I had to purchase books worth Rs3,000 to Rs4,000 per semester, but after the establishment of a modern library, now I don’t have to buy books anymore.”

Siddiqui did her matriculation and intermediate from Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Sukkur. Her father earns Rs30,000 per month to feed a family of eight members and, therefore, it was impossible for him to provide quality education to his children, she said. She wants to join a software company after completing her studies. At Sukkur IBA, she said, she feels at home.

Shahid Hussain hails from Larkana and is a student of MBA in the fourth semester. His father is also retired. Like many other students, Hussain was also selected under the programme in 2011 under USAID scholarship. “It was too expensive for me to seek education at a private sector institute. I tried my luck at Sukkur IBA and was selected.” After completing his studies, Hussain wants to join the State Bank of Pakistan.

The programme at Sukkur IBA was introduced with funding from the Sindh government, said Sukkur IBA marketing manager Sanaullah Shar. After the programme was introduced in 2009, the dropout rate of students at Sukkur IBA went down from 58 per cent to eight per cent, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2014.