Chance to learn: 84 students awarded USAID scholarships

The scholarship is for students enrolled in a four-year bachelor’s degree programme.

LAHORE:

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Thursday awarded scholarships to 84 students enrolled in a four-year bachelor’s degree programme in education.

Students from the University of the Punjab, the University of Education, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, the University of Gujrat, the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, the Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, the Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) and the Government College University, Faisalabad, were awarded the scholarships. They were given scholarships at at ceremony at the University of the Punjab.

The scholarships have been awarded as part of a US government programme to broaden educational opportunities for the young Pakistanis.

“We are delighted to see bright students from the Punjab dedicating themselves to a life of learning and service,” said USAID senior education adviser Muhammad Tariq Khan.

“The credit goes to your hard work, devotion to quality, dedication of your teachers and vision of the Punjab government,” he said.

“The scholarship programme is part of a $165 million USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project which works closely with 28 Pakistani universities and 116 elementary teachers’ colleges.”

PU Vice Chancellor Mujahid Kamran said the contribution of 1.5 billion Muslims across the world to knowledge was “shamefully low”. He said Pakistan was a unique country due to its generic diversity and its students were very talented.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2014.