HEC initiates various fully funded scholarships schemes for students of Baluchistan, FATA

ISLAMABAD, Jul 31 (APP):Higher Education Commission (HEC) has initiated various fully funded scholarships schemes exclusively for students of Balochistan and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).
Senior officials of HEC informed Senate Functional Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas here at Parliament House on Tuesday. The meeting was chaired by Senator Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar, chairman of the committee. Caretaker Federal Minister for Professional and Technical Training Muhammad Yusuf Shaikh also attended the meeting. Members of the committee including Senator Hasil Khan Bizenjo, Senator Molvi Faiz Muhammad, Senator Fida Muhammad and Senator Haji Momin Khan Afridi also attended the meeting.
The senior officials of the HEC briefed the committee on its overall performance including funds allocated, utilized and surrendered for each project and scholarship-programs, for the people of less developed areas of all provinces and FATA during last three years.
The senior officials of HEC also briefed the committee about the progress report in light of budget proposals made during last two years for the people less developed area.
The committee was further informed that the 3,900 scholarships for undergraduate (MBBS, Engineering and many other discipline and postgraduate studies (MS. MPhil) on the basis 50% for each region, addition to that of 200 overseas PhD scholarships and 400 local scholarships for students of Baluchistan under Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Baluchistan scheme.
The HEC officials said that further to that 6% quota for Baluchistan students and 2% for FATA in all government funded scholarships schemes run by HEC.
Around 22,483 Baluchistan students have been provided tuition fee for their studies while 8,391 FATA students also have been benefited from the same scheme. Around 51 scholarships are also awarded for students of Gwadar Baluchistan.
Chairman of the committee also raised the issue of students union in higher education institutions. Senior officials said that students have every right to be well informed and to establish platforms to facilitate theme with a forum for collective reflection on their issues. However, politicization of unions – as has been the case in the past –often resulting in strikes and academic calendar disruption cannot be encouraged.

Earlier, the committee also approved the minutes of meeting held on July 12, 2017.