126 students selected for scholarships

Islamabad: The number of Pakistani students selected for the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) scholarship to study in Europe has gone up almost three-fold in the last three years, from 46 in 2017, to 126 for the academic year 2020-21, including 64 men and 62 women.

With 126 scholarships out of a global total of 2,542, Pakistan now ranks third in the world, having moved up one slot from its fourth position in 2019.

A major reason is the awareness campaign launched jointly by the HEC and the EU mission in Pakistan. HEC organised the send-off ceremony for the selected at its Secretariat in Islamabad.

Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri, Ambassador of the European Union Androulla Kaminara, and Director General (HRD) HEC Aayesha Ikram graced the occasion along with representatives of different EU countries. A large number of alumni and students attended the event in person as well as through Zoom web-conferencing facility. The selected students will pursue their studies in 18 leading European countries. The Erasmus Mundus programme aims to promote academic and cultural understanding between the European countries and partner countries. It supports the development of human resources, facilitates international mobility and cooperation, and helps build capacity of higher education institutions across the world.