Sindh Education Endowment Fund approves 3,157 scholarships

Under the auspices of the Sindh Education Endowment Fund, 3,157 new scholarships have been approved for the academic year 2023-2024.

The decision was made during a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Sindh Education Endowment Fund, chaired by Minister for Education Syed Sardar Ali Shah at the Basic Education Programme Office on Thursday.

The meeting was convened to review the overall situation of the Sindh Education Endowment Fund. Present at the occasion were Secretary College Education Sadaf Anis Sheikh, Additional Secretary Sindh Education Endowment Fund Trust Faqir Muhammad Lakhoo, along with Board MD Abdul Kabir Qazi, VC IBA University Professor Dr Asif Ahmed Sheikh, Director Finance Mueed Sultan, and other board members.

During the meeting, it was informed that students from Sindh are being provided scholarships by the Sindh Education Endowment Fund in 89 universities across the country. The decision was made to award scholarships to incoming students from the next academic year, based on the results of the first semester.

The minister emphasized that the purpose of the scholarship is to assist deserving and needy students. He stated that if any student is unable to afford education expenses, they may not be able to achieve the objectives of this scholarship. Initial admission will be based on the results of the first semester.

Shah directed the Executive Committee of the Sindh Education Endowment Fund to present its recommendations regarding the approval of scholarships based on admission in the upcoming meeting. He said the Executive Committee should also review the fee structure of universities to ensure financial expenses and increasing scholarships for future implementation. The meeting also decided to include nursing degrees in the scholarship alongside medical, engineering, and computer degrees.

The minister mentioned that there are many opportunities available in the nursing field at present. The inclusion of nursing degrees in the scholarship will increase the interest of youth in this field, leading to an increase in human resources in the medical sector.

He added that by the year 2022, 5,430 students in Sindh have been able to continue their higher education due to the scholarship, which is a great success of the Sindh government. It was also decided in the meeting that applications for scholarships will be computerized to further improve merit and transparency. The meeting was briefed that there are currently Rs8.461 billion available in the Endowment Fund, said a press release.