Opening a window: K-P’s public universities to offer displaced people free education

Private institutes also pledge to provide assistance to students from North Waziristan.

PESHAWAR: Free education will be offered to the people displaced by the North Waziristan military operation, at all public and some private universities of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, decided the steering committee at a meeting at UET Peshawar on Friday.

UET VC Imtiaz H Gilani, who is the chairman of the steering committee, deliberated on the plan of action on three main areas, including education, health and rehabilitation. The meeting was convened by the Higher Education Commission. Representatives from Peshawar University, Gomal University DI Khan, UET Peshawar, KMU, IM Sciences, Islamia College, Sarhad University and Agriculture University Peshawar announced seats for displaced students for the session of 2014-15 at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The universities also announced they would offer a stipend of Rs5,000 per month along with free tuition, hostel and mess facilities.



A team bringing together the Agriculture University, Peshawar and Gomal University, DI Khan will register the livestock of displaced people after Eid. Registered animals will be placed in care centres in which their feed and heath care needs will be catered to.

“It is not just humanitarian assistance. We intend to take this challenge and convert it into an opportunity by giving a lifetime opportunity to our youth,” said Gilani.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2014.