April 28, 2019
Islamabad, as part of its contribution towards the socio-economic development and generating opportunities for Afghan youth, is announcing several thousand scholarships for Afghan students, who are interested to study in the educational institutions across Pakistan. Officials have indicated that the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi may announce another 3000 fresh scholarships – under Allama Iqbal Scholarship Program – to facilitate the growing demand from Afghans, wishing to pursue their studies here. This is a sequel to the first round of scholarships, worth tens of millions of rupees. In order to ensure gender inclusion, specific number of seats will be exclusively allocated for female students hailing from Afghanistan.
The initiative would serve as harbinger of change and positive engagement between the two brotherly nations; youth in particular. Afghanistan and Pakistan, since long, have been in need of such youth-oriented programs for ingenious young minds who can push for positive change. Education diplomacy is the one of the contemporary approaches in modern times which can play an effective role in bringing the two nations closer in a constructive way.
It is pertinent to note; conscious that one of the devastating consequences of the ongoing conflict was denial of opportunity for quality education, the Government of Pakistan through Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan, launched the Allama Iqbal Scholarship program for 3000 Afghan students in 2016 which includes undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate studies programs. Out of which 750 scholarships were awarded in the year 2017; comprising 600 for undergraduate students, 120 for medical, and 100 plus for engineering and other disciplines. HEC also wish to expand the number of scholarships for Masters and PhD Degrees. Scholarships for Masters and PhD will be awarded to faculty members on the request of the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan to enhance their capacity. As part of this scholarship program, the Ministry of Education in Afghanistan requested for 100 scholarships exclusively for females, based on regional representation, to which HEC already agreed. The HEC is also in the process of laying the groundwork for some more initiatives with Afghanistan which include; sending Pakistani resource persons to Afghanistan for training Afghan faculty; Afghan medical teams visiting Pakistan for training purposes and starting additional short certificate courses at very low tuition fee or no fee at all.
Moreover, according to some rough estimates, some 50 to 55 thousand doctors, engineers, Information Technology (IT) experts, trained by Pakistan are already serving in Afghanistan. 6000 fresh graduates, masters and Phd Afghans are being added to Afghanistan’s job market annually.
Afghan Studies Center (ASC) hopes that consolidation of the education diplomacy by Pakistan would serve as a connector between the two neighbors, for enhancing people to people contact and improvement in bilateral relations. Pakistan and Afghanistan both, are privileged to have a youth bulge. Pakistan is desirous in fully investing in this joint human resource for sustainable development and prosperous future of both the countries, while at the same time limiting space for extremists to hire these youth as gun fodder in their unending battles of vested interests. The Center wishes the youth to become messengers of peace and cooperation beyond boundaries.
© Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Afghan Studies Center (ASC), Islamabad.
