By Ayesha Ikram

ISLAMABAD (Tuesday, October 27, 2020): The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has awarded Allama Iqbal Scholarship to 91 Sri Lankan students for Fall-2020 / Spring-2021 sessions to pursue higher education in Pakistani universities, under Pak-Sri Lanka Higher Education Cooperation Programme.

The selected students have started arriving in Pakistan and so far 27 students have reached Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Sukkur to join their respective universities. As many as 525 Sri Lankan students had applied for Medical, Engineering, BS, MS, and PhD programmes in response to HEC announcement for Fall 2020/Spring 2021 admissions.

A selection board was constituted for online interviews, which comprised officials from HEC Pakistan, Pakistan High Commission (PHC) Colombo and University Grants Commission (UGC), Sri Lanka. A total of 172 applicants were shortlisted for interview, out of which 91 students have been finally selected.

Spread over five years, Allama Iqbal Scholarship provide an excellent opportunity for 1000 Sri Lankan students to visit Pakistan and pursue undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral degree programmes in Engineering Sciences, Basic and Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.

The scholarship aims to promote an effective exchange of knowledge and better understanding of cultures and tradition between Sri Lankan and Pakistani students. Allama Iqbal Scholarships are part of HEC’s internationalization initiative to encourage international students to study in Pakistan.

The Sri Lankan students will study in their respective programmes in COMSATS University, Islamabad; Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi; Government College University, Lahore; Hazara University, Mansehra; Islamic International University, Islamabad; Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar; Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro; NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi; National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad; Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad; Sukkur IBA University, Sukkur; University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila; and University of the Punjab (UoP), Lahore.