Understanding Chevening: Potential scholars get insight at informative session

Event organised by BHC, British Council to raise awareness about scholarship programme.

ISLAMABAD: A sizable turnout at an informal session on the Chevening Scholarship was indicative of a growing interest in exploring prospects the rigorous programme has to offer.

The session, held at a local hotel on Wednesday, was organised by the British High Commission in collaboration with the British Council and was geared at raising awareness and understanding of the UK government’s global scholarship programme funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.



Jonathan Williams, head of the Chevening Scholarship in Pakistan, elaborated on the scholarship that selects mid-career professionals from a cross-section of society, such as journalists, parliamentarians, senators, senior members of judiciary, human right specialists and environmental specialists.

“The whole point of Chevening is identifying future leaders of Pakistan. It’s about having an ongoing relationship and building strong people-to-people connections between Pakistan and the UK,” said Williams.

Shehla Qayyum, deputy head of the scholarship in Pakistan, explained the eligibility criteria and application process. She underscored that the programme focuses on leadership qualities beyond the academic and professional competence. She also clarified that the scholarship was a funding stream for the universities the applicants choose themselves.

Applicants must have at least 16 years of education, two years experience and achieve 6.5 overall band score in IELTS test.

The scholarship offers opportunities to future leaders to study for a one-year Master’s degree from an internally-recognised university in a range of fields at top universities in the UK.

Since the scheme was established in 1983, over 1,200 Pakistanis have benefited from the scholarship along with over 43,000 other recipients from 150 countries. The UK government recently announced a tripling in the number of scholarships places in the 2015-16 academic year for developing countries.

“But for Pakistan, we are actually nearly quadrupling the funding. This year we have 18 places (for Pakistan) but by the 2015-2016 academic year, we are hoping to offer 70 places,” said Williams.

Benazir Bhutto figures among prominent Chevening scholars from Pakistan. Bhutto pursued a postgraduate degree in Foreign Services from Oxford University, said Williams.

The scholarship covers tuition fees, a living allowance (for one individual), an economy class return airfare to the UK and an additional allowance package. The application process takes place online. The deadline for this year is November 15. More information is available on the website and social media pages.

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