PESHAWAR, Jul 04 (APP):After the complete digitization of the scholarship program to ensure transparency, performance, and merit, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Foundation (KPEF) has finalized 224 merit-based scholarships for talented and deserving students from across the province who are currently studying at some of the country’s leading universities.
According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Foundation (KPEF), after approval from its Board of Directors, KPEF introduced a fully digital scholarship process — the first of its kind in the country.
Conceived and implemented by Managing Director Zarif Maani, this end-to-end online system operates through a secure portal, ensuring that every step of the application and selection process remains transparent, traceable, and merit-based.
According to KPEF, a total of 3,669 applications were received from 32 districts, including 2,935 for undergraduate (BS) programs and 734 for postgraduate (MS) studies.
Managing Director Zarif Maani explained that the foundation, in collaboration with 30 top-tier universities, implemented a standardized and accountable selection process.
These universities include Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), FAST National University, Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad, University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar, National College of Arts, and others.
Applications were reviewed through a seven-step digital mechanism that began with a public advertisement and concluded with the direct transfer of funds to relevant universities for disbursement to selected students.
The multi-layered evaluation process included interviews by institutional scholarship award committees, internal verification by KPEF, publication of provisional merit lists, a one-week appeal period, and final approval.
According to the Foundation, the final selection results show that 122 scholarships were awarded to BS students — 64 male and 58 female — and 98 scholarships to MS students — 49 male and 49 female — reflecting the Foundation’s commitment to gender equality and regional inclusion.
Zarif Maani further stated that special attention was given to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups throughout the process. Out of 482 orphan applicants, 77 were selected; out of 285 applicants who had memorized the Quran (Hafiz-e-Quran), 26 were awarded scholarships. Additionally, ten students registered in social welfare programs were supported, and one student with a documented disability also received a scholarship.
Officials noted that the selected students were not only from disadvantaged backgrounds but also talented and selected purely on merit.
District-level participation showed a strong representation from areas like Charsadda, Chitral, Buner, Battagram, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat, Swabi, and Mohmand, where the application-to-selection ratio was highest. In contrast, districts like Tank, Tor Ghar, and Hangu had the lowest selection numbers due to fewer applications and merit-based filtering.
The eligibility criteria for the scholarship were clear and unambiguous. Applicants were required to have at least 70% marks or a CGPA of 3.0 in their last exam. They had to be residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or its merged districts and enrolled in the first year of an approved BS or MS program in fields such as Engineering, Emerging Sciences, Management Sciences, General Sciences, or Arts.
The household income limit was set at Rs. 160,000 per month. Additionally, applicants benefiting from other scholarship schemes were deemed ineligible to avoid duplication of support.
The Managing Director stated that the Foundation’s digital platform not only eliminated manual handling but also introduced a significant quantified merit system that automatically generates merit based on predefined eligibility and need-based indicators.
He added that the system ensured fair and efficient scholarship disbursement through a transparent dashboard interface jointly monitored by the Foundation and its partner institutions.
Scholarships will be renewable annually, contingent on students maintaining the required academic performance, specifically a CGPA of at least 3.0 or 70% marks. Those failing to meet the criteria risk losing funding.
The Managing Director concluded by saying, “This digitized and quantified model is a replicable framework for other scholarship programs nationwide. It integrates institutional collaboration, technical efficiency, and social equity. This will help reform the support system for public-sector students.”
He also mentioned that to support the remaining applicants, the Foundation has recently launched the ‘Adopt a Scholar Program’, which aims to raise donations from within the country and abroad.
This event is one of the biggest gathering of International Relations Experts in the world. Akram’s presentation, titled “Harnessing the Digital Economy for Inclusive Growth in the Global South,” was selected as the best among 250 submissions from 100 countries.