Agreement signed: 30 girl students to receive foreign scholarships

PESHAWAR: The Local Government Election & Rural Development Department, under the Asian Development Bank-funded Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project (KPCIP), has entered into a scholarship agreement with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) Bangkok.

As per the agreement, the institute will enroll 30 girl students across various disciplines, with a particular emphasis on fields relevant to the development sector as outlined in KPCIP’s Gender Action Plan.

The Asian Development Bank’s Asian Development Fund (ADB-ADF) will cover the costs of these scholarships.Project Director KPCIP Syed Zafar Ali Shah and AIT President Kazuo Yamamoto, signed the agreement.

Minister LGE&RDD Arshad Ayub Khan, Secretary Muhammad Daud Khan, ADB representative Inayatullah Waseem, KPCIP’s Director Compliance Amir Alam Khan, Director Technical Mian Muhammad Shakeel, Director Gender Mehnaz Iftikhar, and Director Finance Qazi Raees were prominent among the participants.

Minister Arshad Ayub Khan expressed gratitude to AIT and ADB for providing such opportunities to empower women that would enable them to contribute significantly to societal development.

He hoped such opportunities would enable women to excel in traditionally male-dominated fields, showcasing competence, resilience, and leadership capabilities.The minister said upon return, these empowered women would serve as role models for other women, instilling confidence and self-belief in their abilities.

The minister noted that they would represent Pakistan admirably, enhancing the country’s image and honing their skills in a multicultural environment.The LGE&RDD secretary highlighted the importance of diversity and innovation that these scholarship recipients would bring, enriching the work environment with their varied perspectives, skills, and approaches.

He stressed the fostering of an inclusive and collaborative workplace culture, where different viewpoints are valued and respected.In addition to the scholarship programme, KPCIP has launched a one-year paid internship initiative, recruiting 25 women interns across five water and sanitation companies. These interns, placed in various departments relevant to their academic backgrounds, are provided with laptops and receive a monthly stipend of Rs35,000.