press releases
U.S. Government Sets Aside 38 Scholarships For Earthquake Victims
09/25/2006
Islamabad - A program supported by the United States Agency for International Development, (USAID), will fund 38 scholarships set aside for students from Pakistan’s earthquake-affected region. The scholarships are awarded for studying agriculture and business and cover tuition and fees as well as providing a monthly stipend for living expenses.
These educational opportunities for earthquake victims are among 398 scholarships that Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission will award this year under the USAID Higher Education Commission In-Country Scholarship Program. These scholarships are based on both academic merit and financial need.
To be eligible to apply, students must gain admission to one of 11 Pakistan universities that have been selected to participate in the program. Once admitted, students may apply for the USAID scholarship and their applications are then judged on the basis of financial need. The decision to award scholarships is made by officials from the HEC and universities.
Since the program started four years ago, 602 scholarships have been awarded. These scholarships are part of the US Government’s $66.7 million education assistance program in Pakistan this year, which benefits over 400,000 children and over 23,000 teachers. Total estimated funding is $265 million over USAID’s current six-year, 2002-2007 strategic plan period. Approximately $178 million is budgeted for quality basic education and around $87 million is allocated for higher education.
In addition, over the next four years, USAID’s Earthquake Reconstruction program will be providing approximately $65 million in education funding to construct primary and middle schools and $13 million to train new and existing teachers and school administrators in the earthquake affected areas.
The United States, through USAID, is providing more than $1.5 billion in development assistance to Pakistan over the next five years to improve education, health, governance and economic growth. In addition, the United States has pledged a total of $510 million in earthquake relief and reconstruction efforts to assist the people of Pakistan and to support Pakistani government efforts.