ISLAMABAD  -  A meeting was held at the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training to discuss the initiative to offer 300 fully funded scholarships in various disciplines for students of Bangladesh, through a consortium of leading Pakistani universities, under the umbrella of the Pakistan-Bangladesh Friendship Scholarship Program. The consortium includes International Islamic University, Islamabad; National University of Sciences & Technology, Islamabad; COMSATS University, Islamabad; National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad; National University of Computer & Emerging Science Islamabad; Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore; National College of Arts, Lahore; Pakistan Institute of Fashion & Design, Lahore; University of Lahore, Lahore; Superior University, Lahore; National Textile University, Faisalabad; Aga Khan University, Karachi; and Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences & Technology, Topi.

Chaired by Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, the meeting was attended by Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum, Executive Director, Higher Education Commission (HEC), the representative of High Commissioner of Pakistan to Bangladesh, and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the consortium of leading Pakistani universities. The main objective of this program is to foster strong ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh by providing educational opportunities to Bangladeshi students in top-ranked Pakistani universities, promoting cultural exchange and developing people-to-people connections. The scholarships will be offered in the disciplines of Engineering, Basic and Natural Sciences, Medicine and Allied Health, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, including subjects such as Architecture, Fine Arts, Business Education, Computer Sciences, Information Technology, Agriculture Sciences, Media and Communication Studies and Languages. Speaking on the occasion, Wani appreciated the proposal and advised the partner universities to conduct educational expos, seminars and road shows, for maximum propagation of this initiative in Bangladesh in coordination with the local universities. He added that an online portal may be launched exclusively for these scholarships to be offered by the consortium of Pakistani universities.

While highlighting the importance of educational diplomacy in harnessing regional harmony and a gesture of goodwill, the Executive Director HEC urged the Pakistani universities to seek approvals of their statutory bodies/relevant forums at the earliest for allocation of scholarship slots, endorsement of fee waivers and to explore possible sponsorship options.