Islamabad: Adam Thomson, High Commissioner of the UK to Pakistan has
appreciated the efforts of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for
changing the overall scenario of higher education in the country.
“I
must say this is an institution which is making a real difference,” he
said this while speaking as chief guest at a ceremony to bid farewell
to five Pakistani scholars selected for HEC-Cambridge Commonwealth
Trust (CCT) Scholarships.
Dr. Riaz Hussain Qureshi, Acting
Executive Director HEC chaired the session held at HEC secretariat on
Thursday. Mr. Michael O ‘Sullivan, Director CCT was also present.
The
successful scholars who have been awarded this prestigious MS leading
to PhD scholarship in the disciplines of Biochemistry, Development
Economics, Engineering and Education are Mayida Azhar, Shan Aman Rana,
Zaib Ali, Ishrat Rehman and Arooj Shafiq. These scholars will join the
University of Cambridge in the session starting in October.
Mr.
Thomson said, “I am particularly proud of the level of cooperation
between the HEC and the UK, primarily through the British Council, and
am very aware of the HEC’s commitment to knowledge exchange at an
international level. University to university links are an important
part of the exchange of ideas. Thus today it is a great pleasure to
mark the further strengthening of an enduring intellectual and academic
relationship between Pakistan and a UK university”.
“I hope
that this partnership between the HEC and the Cambridge Overseas Trust
will be sustained for many years to come, giving many of Pakistan’s
best and brightest, irrespective of their economic background, the
chance to excel at the highest international level”, the High
Commissioner added.
Congratulating the students, Dr. Qureshi
said that although the number of scholarships is limited but the
expected impact is very large. He said that the United Kingdom has been
a great partner in the development of higher education in Pakistan and
because of social and historical relationships among the people of the
two countries, most Pakistanis prefer to go to UK for higher studies.
Addressing
the selected scholars, he said, “You are going to the top most
University of the world for attaining the highest qualifications but
this is not enough. Getting this degree is only an important milestone
in your life and your real contribution will start after this
achievement.”
In a recorded message, Dr. Javaid R. Laghari,
Chairperson HEC appreciated the cooperation of CCT for materializing
these scholarships. He said that the students, who are outstanding in
their academic fields, are chosen for these scholarships. He hoped that
the selected scholars will enrich country’s research upon their return.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between HEC
and CCT for the establishment of these scholarships. Under the
programme, five outstanding Pakistani scholars will be chosen every
year to study at the prestigious University. The scholarship is
applicable in all areas of knowledge except those for which clinical
rate fees are charged.
According to the MoU, HEC will pay 5000
GBP towards the tuition fee plus its standard stipend 9000 GBP per
annum. CCT will pay the remainder of tuition fee, the College Fee and
the remainder of the annual stipend to bring that up to CCT’s annual
amount. Applicants are required to secure admission letter by
themselves.
CCT was founded in 1982 by the University of
Cambridge as a charity to support international students from member
countries of the Commonwealth who wish to study at the University of
Cambridge. The Trust offered support to 247 students from 23 countries
to start their studies at Cambridge in October 2010. There are
currently 590 students in residence in Cambridge who receive support
from the Trust.
It is pertinent to mention here that currently
158 HEC scholars are studying in various universities of UK on
different scholarship programmes. This year, under HEC’s Project
Overseas Scholarships (Phase II), eight more scholars will join
different universities of UK. While a total of 16 HEC scholars are
currently studying in the University of Cambridge in various
disciplines including Biological Sciences, Social Sciences,
Agriculture, Arts and Humanities. Online
