Pakistan has launched a major education programme to provide talented Pakistani students with opportunities to pursue higher education at leading universities in the United States, 24NewsHD TV reported on Sunday.
The programme was announced during Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui’s visit to the US, where he held important meetings with officials from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, Princeton University, Columbia University and Georgetown University.
The government has decided to allocate Rs1.5 billion under the Pakistan Fund for Education to provide financial support to selected Pakistani students seeking admission to world-class higher education institutions.
Under the scholarship programme, students could receive financial assistance of up to $29,000 per year to help meet the cost of their studies.
The programme will give priority to modern and strategically important fields, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science, biotechnology, agriculture and public policy.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, has assured full support for the successful implementation of the programme.
Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said Pakistan was now focusing on building global partnerships based on merit, talent and the abilities of its young people.
He said such programmes would create more opportunities for Pakistani students to study at leading international institutions and demonstrate their skills on the global stage.