112 high-achievers get scholarships

Islamabad:United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Kate Somvongsiri joined Higher Education Commission Executive Director Aayesha Ikram to award scholarships to 112 high-achieving Pakistani undergraduate students.

The US government scholarships, made possible through USAID’s Merit and Needs-based Scholarship Programme (MNBSP), will support students who were affected by last year’s devastating floods, and enable them to complete degree programmes in Sindh's six universities.

“Higher education enables students from all socioeconomic backgrounds to expand their knowledge-base and increase their career opportunities,” USAID Mission Director Somvongsiri said.

She said the USAID was delighted to support high-achieving students in completing their studies so that they could realize their personal and professional ambitions as Pakistan’s future leaders.

During the ceremony, HEC executive director Ayesha Ikram commended the United States’ support for higher education in Pakistan, noting that the programme awards over 50 percent of its scholarships to young women.

She said the US government’s continued collaboration in higher education had built a positive legacy spanning 75 years. Ayesha Akram said the USAID-funded MNBSP, a partnership between the Higher Education Commission and 30 Pakistani universities, provided university scholarships to students to pursue degrees in selected Pakistani universities.