PESHAWAR: Programme for Fata students likely to fail
By Zulfiqar Ali
PESHAWAR, Sept 21: Lengthy procedures are hampering the admission process under the president’s programme for talented students of tribal areas, it is learnt.
Under the programme, successful students would receive free education up to secondary level in various cadet colleges and other institutions of the country. The most affected were the students seeking admission in class-VIII.
The Civil Secretariat, Fata, conducted tests under the supervision of the Educational Testing and Evaluation Authority on July 10 for the programme.
Officials said that a total of 4,135 students hailing from all seven agencies of Fata and six Frontier Regions had appeared in the test conducted in Peshawar. Only 28 students qualified for the interview.
An official admitted that there were complications in the admission process. He said that despite President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s announcement, some institutions had refused to accommodate the students.
Another major hurdle was the fee of various educational institutions that was much higher than the amount set aside under the programme, he said, adding that the government had allocated Rs106,000 for each student which included the admission, hostel and other charges per annum, but many institutions were demanding Rs160,000 per student.
The official said that if the government did not intervene in the matter immediately to expedite the admission process, many deserving students might lose this opportunity.
The federal government’s scholarship programme for talented graduate students of Fata and Balochistan also faces an uncertain future as the authorities concerned had yet to give a practical shape to the scheme.
Under the programme, the central government had announced to give scholarship to 1,000 students hailing from Fata and Balochistan in well-reputed institutions in the public and private sectors.
Senior officials of the Civil Secretariat Fata claimed ignorance about the scholarship programme.
Spokesman for the Planning Commission Sheikh Asif told Dawn that the programme would take some time and would be sent to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council for approval.
