France to offer 200 scholarships to underprivileged students

Islamabad: France and Pakistan have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) offering 200 needs based scholarships to the underprivileged Pakistani students in various subjects for further promoting bilateral educational cooperation.

The scholarships would be available from next year.The MoU was signed by French Ambassador to Pakistan Martine Dorance and Higher Educational Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed in a ceremony here at the residence of French envoy.

The French ambassador in her remarks on the occasion said the MoU would further cement bridges between the two people.Higher education was one of the pillars of Pak-French cooperation and the MoU signed would give scholarships to those students who did not have sufficient means to continue their education.

Later the envoy hosted the annual dinner in honour of Pakistan France Alumni Network (PFAN).In her remarks on the occasion she said 500 students from Pakistan were already in France to pursue their studies in different subjects in French educational institutions.

France, she said was the world’s third destination for international students and it would like to have more students from Pakistan.A delegation of Pakistani educationists led by HEC Chairman Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed visited France early this year, which was quite fruitful and after exchange of views it was decided then to further increase partnership between the two countries, she said.

Pakistani universities, she said had also agreed to introduce new programmes in that regard and would open up information centres in Karachi Lahore Faisalabad and Peshawar to let students know of the available opportunities in French institutions.