51 Percent Girls, 4 Percent Minorities Amongst 69,130 Scholarship Recipients For Fiscal Year 2020/21

A total of 69,130 scholarships worth Rs. 6.53 billion are being awarded including 51 percent scholarships for girls and four percent for minorities for the Fiscal Year 2020/21

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Jun, 2021 ) :A total of 69,130 scholarships worth Rs. 6.53 billion are being awarded including 51 percent scholarships for girls and four percent for minorities for the Fiscal Year 2020/21.

This was revealed during the meeting of project steering committee of Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship chaired by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Dr. Sania Nishtar.

The committee members came to the table for the eighth time to review the process of scholarship disbursements for the FY2020/21.

The need cum merit based Ehsaas scholarship covers 100 percent tuition fee and a living stipend.

Chairing the meeting, Dr. Sania Nishtar stated, "Ehsaas is fully determined that no deserving student gets deprived of higher education." Reflecting on the criteria, she emphasized to ensure that programme holistically benefits girls, minorities, students as well as those from disadvantaged areas who applied for scholarship.

She also urged Higher Education Commission (HEC) to expedite and complete the payment process to universities and students before June 30, 2021.

The meeting also reviewed the pattern being followed for scholarship distribution and disbursements to 119 public sector universities.

The programme is on the track in its first two years of execution. In the current year 2020-21, as many as 120,000 undergraduate students applied for Ehsaas scholarship through online portal.

Students from low-income backgrounds studying in undergraduate programmes across 119 public sector universities were eligible to apply.

Following due diligence procedures, overall 69,130 scholarships are being awarded nationwide for the current fiscal year. Among these, 59% of the scholarships are being awarded to students from Punjab, 41% from Sindh, 61 percent from Balochistan, 51% from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 50 percent from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan each and 45 percent to those from Islamabad Capital Territory.

As part of the policy, the scholarship support will be continued to awardees throughout the course of their undergraduate degree program based on their academic performance.

The Ehsaas undergraduate scholarship programme was officially launched by the PM on November 4, 2019. The geographical spread of the programme covers all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.

According to the programme design, 200,000 undergraduate scholarships are being given in 4 years to enhance financial access to higher education for the brilliant yet deserving students. Fifty percent scholarships are reserved for girls.

This scholarship programme is part of the overarching Ehsaas framework. The human capital development lies at the core of Ehsaas agenda.

These Ehsaas scholarships will boost education in the country, reduce poverty, and will contribute towards inclusive development.