HEC Scholarship Management Committee meeting held

Islamabad
The second meeting of the Scholarship Management Committee of Higher Education Commission (HEC) held on Wednesday, has approved the cases of 300 shortlisted students from 11 institutions for Pakistan-US Merit and Needs-based Scholarships.
The meeting, chaired by HEC Executive Director Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi, was attended by Dr. Tariq Mahmood, HEC Adviser, USAID Director Thomas Le Blanc, Vice Chancellor, BUITEMS (Quetta) Engr. Farooq Bazai, Vice Chancellor, University of Peshawar Dr. Rasul Jan, Director ORIC, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad Dr. Asif Rao, Registrar, Sukkur IBA Zahid Hussain Khund, other key USAID officials and representatives of the partner institutions.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Kundi appreciated the collaboration of USAID in the education sector of Pakistan and how it has supported HEC’s cause of establishing high-class educational centres to build university-industry-government linkages, and internationally ranked universities with trained faculty for increased research capacity.
Dr. Tariq Mahmood informed the members that Merit and Needs-based Scholarship Programme was started in 2004 in collaboration between HEC and USAID, which till date has provided 1807 scholarships to talented and needy students. “Of these, 1400 students have completed their education and are working at local and multinational companies. In the first Scholarship Management Committee of Phase-II, 221 scholarships were awarded to the meritorious students,” he said.
He further said, “As the program has been expanded to 31 universities in its Phase-II, it will enable to capture youth of low income households to come under the net of higher education on a wider scale, thus increasing access and providing adequate opportunities to less privileged youth.”
Thomas Le Blanc told the members that US Government is committed to take necessary steps to ensure that the country comes out of the challenges. “Under the Phase-II, the programme will provide financial assistance to approximately 3000 needy youth in next five years and fully funded scholarships to the students of Agriculture, Medical, Business, Engineering in top universities of Pakistan. Fifty percent of the scholarships are reserved for female students,” he said.