SEF, Sukkur IBA join hands to provide scholarships to over 900 students

The Sindh Education Foundation (SEF), a body of the Sindh government for public private partnerships in the education sector, has signed contracts with Sukkur IBA Community Colleges and Schools for the provision of quality post-primary education to 970 high achieving students in the public schools of Gadap, Mirpurkhas and Hyderabad under Phase-1 of the government’s School Education Scholarship Program (SESP).

According to a press release issued, the ceremony in this regard was held on Monday at SEF’s head office in the city. Sukkur IBA University Vice Chancellor Prof Nisar Ahmed Siddiqui, Public School Gadap Chairman Muhammad Suleiman Shaikh, Hyderabad Commissioner Abdul Waheed Shaikh, members of the SEF Board of Governors, Dr Qazi Masood Ahmed and SEF Managing Director Naheed Shah Durrani were among the people who attended the ceremony.

According to SEF officials, the scholarship has been provided to 970 high-achieving students, 75 per cent of whom belong to government schools and 25 per cent to private schools functioning under the supervision of SEF in all 29 districts of the province. These students were selected on the basis of the Sindh School Education and Literacy Department’s Students Assessment Test and SEF’s Assessment Results through a third party.

SEF Board of Governors Member Husnain Qamar Shah said SEF has yet to make significant progress in making the education system more responsive to the needs of students.

He expected that the scholarship program will nurture the much-needed human capital for social and economic development in the province and will eventually lead to the strengthening of the country’s economy.

The Sukkur IBA University VC Nisar Ahmad Siddiqui said that the initiative is expected to create equitable opportunities for less privileged yet academically brilliant students across the province.

He hoped that it would evolve a competitive environment in SELD and SEF schools. “Sukkur IBA University Community Colleges will be making extra efforts to prepare foundation courses for these students to bring them at par with other students within next few years,” he said.

Hyderabad Commissioner Abdul Waheed Shaikh, who is also the Chairman of Public Schools Mirpurkhas and Hyderabad, praised the efforts of the SEF and stressed upon the need for all stakeholders to work together in the face of the prevailing challenges. These challenges also provide us with the opportunities to work together and build a better future for our youth, he said.