PM to give away Ehsaas scholarships today

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan will give away need-based Ehsaas undergraduate scholarships to the first batch of deserving bright students today (Monday).

Around Rs24 billion will be spent on the four-year programme meant to support 200,000 students, half of them girls, from low-income backgrounds. As part of the Ehsaas scholarships policy, two per cent scholarships will be awarded to students with special needs. Overall, 50,000 scholarships will be given every year to enhance financial access to higher education for deserving students.

Special assistant to the premier on poverty alleviation and social protection Dr Sania Nishtar said the programme would help impart higher education to a total of 200,000 students (50 per cent girls) from the less-developed areas over a period of four years. A two per cent quota has been allocated for the special persons.

In order to help the deserving youth get a higher education, a total of 50,000 scholarships will be awarded every year, while the academic performance of a student will decide the continuation of the financial assistance. The scholarship entails a complete tuition fee and a Rs4,000 monthly stipend.