ISLAMABAD:30 May: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Tuesday approved 1,000 scholarships to needy students. The scholarships, for students hailing from different parts of Pakistan, were given under the HEC’s Merit & Needs-based Scholarship Programme.

This was decided at the HEC scholarship management committee’s first meeting, held at its headquarters in Islamabad. It was presided over by Member (O&P) Higher Education Commission Dr Nasser Ali Khan.

The selected students are enrolled in various disciplines at different public sector higher education institutions (HEIs) located in various parts of Pakistan. About Rs 5 billion would be spent on this programme. The needs-based scholarships are focused on providing opportunities for access to higher education, especially to under-privileged students belonging to remote areas of the country.

Under this initiative, special emphasis is laid on the students belonging to Balochistan, FATA, interior Sindh and southern Punjab to support education of maximum number of academically qualified needy students from the very poor segments of the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Nasser said that the HEC’s needs-based scholarships have been designed to provide financial support from the HEC’s recurring budget to students who face difficulties in securing admission at HEIs because of financial constraints. He said that the HEC intended to award about 6,000 scholarships during the next three years.

The meeting was attended by Gomal University Vice Chancellor Dr Mansoor Akber Kundi, Fatima Jinnah University (Rawalpindi) Vice Chancellor Prof Samina Amin Qadir, PMAS Arid University’s former vice chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Khan and Quetta SBKWU Registrar Prof Jamila Qazi. Sukkur IBA director attended the meeting through video conferencing. The representatives of twenty public sectors were also present on the occasion.Daily Times.