50 Pakistanis awarded Chevening scholarship

ISLAMABAD: Over fifty Pakistanis have been awarded the Chevening scholarship 2020/21 to study a fully funded one-year master’s programme at the top universities in the United Kingdom.

This is a record year for Chevening Pakistan for the first time in the history of the scholarship programme, more than half of the 53 selected scholars are female. Out of 58% of the selected female scholars, 10% of them are from Baluchistan. The number of female scholars has increased by 20% up from 38% last year. Chevening Pakistan received over 3,500 applications for the academic year 2020/21 and conducted over 230 interviews to select the best and the brightest scholars from across all provinces of Pakistan.

These selected scholars are mid-career professionals in a range of diverse fields including law, the development sector, education/special education, medicine, judiciary, bureaucracy, law enforcement, customs, taxation and revenue, communications, cyber security and more. To ensure diversity and inclusion, scholars are represented from across Pakistan including a female scholar with special needs who is a banker by profession.

According to the British high commission, the acting British high commissioner to Pakistan, Alison Blackburne said, “Congratulations to all the selected Chevening scholars for academic year 2020/21. I am delighted to see that we have achieved our aim of having 50% female scholars by 2020, by having a record number of female scholars selected this year. “The UK supports inclusion, education and opportunity for all. Our brilliant scholars from Pakistan will get the opportunity to study at the top universities in the UK while connecting with future leaders from across the globe and experiencing our dynamic, vibrant and multicultural society. “On completing their studies, scholars will become a member of the Chevening family, which has around 2,000 alumni across Pakistan and 50,000 globally.

The knowledge and skills they will acquire in the UK will enable them to contribute to a more stable and prosperous Pakistan.” The high commission has announced that the 2021/22 application window for Chevening scholarships will open from 3rd September to 3rd November 2020. The Chevening Scholarships are the UK Government’s global scholarship programme, funded mainly by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Available in over 160 countries and territories, these scholarships support one-year masters’ degrees in any subject and at any UK university. Chevening Scholarships are prestigious scholarships awarded to individuals with demonstrable leadership potential who also have strong academic backgrounds.

The scholarship offers full financial support for future leaders to study for any eligible master’s degree at a UK university while gaining access to a wide range of exclusive academic, professional, and cultural events. Around 2,000 scholars from Pakistan have gone to study in the UK through the Chevening scholarship. Female scholars going for the Chevening Scholarship have increased from just 6% in 2013 to 58% in 2020.