Farewell hosted for students leaving for study in Japan

Islamabad
Japan awards graduate and postgraduate fully funded scholarships to Pakistani students every year besides many short-term scholarships and training courses round the year.
In the absence of the ambassador, the Chargés d’Affaires of Japan Takashi Katae, hosted a reception to bid good luck and farewell to another batch of nine students who are leaving for Japan to obtain their PhD and Masters Degree’s. The event was held at the ambassador’s residence and attended by members of MAAP (MEXT Alumni Association) and the grantees.
Addressing the gathering the host began by wishing and thanking them in Urdu, for which he received a round of applause. “I thank you for your interest in studying in Japan and it is good that you want to learn new things and acquire knowledge during your stay,” he said. “But you must be prepared to face some unexpected challenges, so it will help if you to learn the Japanese language, to assist with your studies and communicate with the Japanese people.” He went on to say life in Japan will be completely different from that of Pakistan and pointed out that while trying to maintain its traditional lifestyle, Japan is equipped with modern technology and machinery and it can sometimes be confusing. “I hope the hospitality and friendship of the Japanese people will get you through any adjustments you need to make.”
He concluded by saying he hoped the scholars would join MAAP after their return to further promote the strong ties between the people of Japan and Pakistan. “The alumni have also been invited to exchange views and share knowledge you and we would like to acknowledge their continued efforts and cooperation in promoting the MEXT scholarship over the years. I congratulate all of you for your accomplishments so far and wish you the best of luck in your further studies. ‘Bohat Shukriya, Mujhe Umeed hay aap kamyab rahain gay.’ (Thank you very much. I hope that you will be successful).
President, MAAP Dr. Khalid Rashid thanked the host for organising the farewell and said though it was difficult to learn Japanese it was essential to fully grasp the benefits of studying in Japan. He hoped that besides acquiring knowledge, the grantees would also learn social graces like punctuality; politeness, dedication etc: for which the Japanese people were well known and in turn leave a good impression about Pakistan behind.
During dinner where Japanese specialties were served along with Pakistani cuisine, a female grantee, Sofia Ali who speaks Japanese said she had travelled often to Japan with her mother and was fascinated with the country so she decided to continue her studies in Tokyo University. Another scholar, Ahmed Quereshi said he was also offered a scholarship from MIT but decided on Osaka University because one of the greatest Japanese professors of Robotics was teaching there. “Robotics is the future in every field,” he said. “And we need the expertise here in Pakistan.” We discussed the negative side of this as well, since the human factor will eventually become irrelevant, but that’s another story!
Since the first scholarship Pakistani student went to Japan in 1963, many have returned to actively work in the academia, public and private sectors making significant
contributions to the development of Pakistan in various fields, as well as to the friendly relationship between Pakistan and Japan.