2,723 scholarships for university students approved

The Sindh government has approved scholarships for 2,723 students pursuing higher education.

Officials said the decision was made during a board meeting of the Sindh Education Endowment Fund Trust (SEEF) chaired by Sindh Education minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah.

The scholarships, approved for the academic year 2023–24, are intended for students from Sindh currently enrolled in universities across the country.

Shah chaired the meeting in his capacity as the chairman of the SEEF Board of Trustees. The meeting was held in Karachi and attended by College Education Secretary Shahab Qamar Ansari, School Education Secretary Zahid Ali Abbasi, Additional Secretary Judicial & SEEF Iqbal Jamani, SEEF board members and other relevant officials.

Speaking on the occasion, the education minister stated that the Sindh Education Endowment Fund was established to support higher education of underprivileged and talented students. “Through the SEEF scholarships, students from Sindh can pursue higher education at over 90 public and private universities across the country,” he remarked.

“Our goal is to provide equal opportunities for quality education to bright students from financially challenged backgrounds,” he said.

The board also approved renewal of scholarships for 4,877 existing students, bringing the total number of beneficiaries this year to 7,600. The meeting was informed that the SEEF’s total capital had reached Rs. 9.2 billion, and the profit generated from this amount was used to pay the students’ fees. Over the past two years, an additional Rs2 billion had been invested to further strengthen the fund.

The board resolved to present recommendations in the next meeting on linking the SEEF scholarships with university admissions. The education minister emphasised the need for persuading the universities to simplify the admission process for students awaiting scholarship approval.

“Many students cannot reach universities due to financial constraints. We aim to further streamline the scholarship acquisition process,” he said. He also ordered complete digitisation of the scholarship application process to make it entirely paperless. A digital dashboard and automated scrutiny system would also be developed to enhance transparency, he said.

Shah expressed displeasure at the absence of the university vice-chancellors who were board members from the meeting stating that they should attend and offer suggestions to ease students’ access to education.

Since its establishment in 2003, the SEEFT has supported over 37,550 students for completion of their higher education.