PESHAWAR: In a bid to expand access to higher education for deserving students, especially orphans, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Foundation (KPEF) is set to launch a new initiative to provide a transparent platform for philanthropists, individuals and organisations to sponsor higher education of talented students in market-oriented disciplines across the province.
According to KPEF Managing Director Zariful Maani, more than 14,000 deserving students applied for scholarships, titled “Adopt a Scholar - Contribute to Support a Scholar” this year, but due to limited resources only 204 could be supported.“Higher education is expensive and support from the government and the institution, he heads, is minimal,” he said.
Most of the deserving students are orphans. Some very interesting stories were recorded during the scholarships’ interviews. Many families have had to sell cattle or land to continue their children’s education. This program is about giving these students a fair chance, Zariful Maani said.
Launched under the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s broader education development agenda, the initiative invites national and international donors to adopt a scholar by funding their university education through a recently developed transparent and digitized scholarship portal. The program specifically targets students from vulnerable backgrounds, particularly orphans and those from low-income families, who are enrolled in public and private universities across the country.
Currently, KPEF offers scholarships through its merit-cum-affordability program, supported by a rigorous online selection process and a gender-balanced disbursement model aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG-4). Despite this, thousands of eligible students remain without aid each year. Of the 3,700 eligible applications received in 2025, only 204 scholarships were awarded, leaving over 3,000 deserving students - many of them orphans - at risk of discontinuing their studies due to financial constraints.
The new initiative seeks to bridge this gap by encouraging individuals, non-governmental organisations, corporate bodies, banks and government institutions to “adopt” scholars. Donors will receive comprehensive academic profiles of the students they support, including regular updates on attendance, performance and achievements.
An effective monitoring system, comprising a dedicated scrutiny and oversight committee, will ensure transparency and effective utilization of funds.“This is not just a scholarship program. It is a lifeline for talented youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who are eager to study but lack resources,” Zariful Maani said. The goal behind the initiative is to make higher education accessible to all, he said.
According to official statistics, over 416,000 students are currently enrolled in higher education institutions across the province. KPEF’s own data shows that at least 482 orphan students are actively seeking financial support at the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels. These students come from nearly every district in KP with the highest concentrations in Mardan, Mansehra, Swat and Lower Dir.
The initiative also plans to attract donations from Zakat, corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, Pakistan Baitul Mal and other social welfare agencies. A dedicated bank account will be established with KPEF’s finance wing independently maintaining balance sheets in compliance with government regulations. A high-level oversight committee will be formed to verify donor credibility and manage the transparent distribution of funds, Zarif said.
He maintained that many potential donors have expressed willingness to contribute to the cause. “We are developing a transparent system to ensure that support is directed straight to orphans and deserving students. This will offer a credible forum for banks, philanthropists and institutions to properly utilize their charitable contributions. Supporting students in this way serves a far greater purpose than handing out alms that may promote dependency and ‘beggary’.
He added that the program will provide opportunities for students to pursue higher education in market-oriented disciplines to make them self-reliant and professionally competitive. “This initiative will be formally launched once approved by the competent forum,” he confirmed.
KPEF will soon announce a dedicated donation account number and official communication channels for interested donors. Sponsors will have the option to support one or multiple students and will be updated quarterly on the academic progress of those they adopt.
With this initiative, the KP Education Foundation is setting a precedent for public-private collaboration in education and demonstrating how community-driven philanthropy can help bridge the higher education gap in the underdeveloped areas of the country, he concluded.
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