LAHORE, July 17: The Punjab government is sending 39 provincial service officials abroad for doing masters in certain subjects for capacity building of its administrative machinery in the required fields.

Out of these 39 officials, 32 are going to the leading universities in the United Kingdom, while the rest will study in Singapore.

They will study for one year in the fields of economics, public administration, and project management.

The selected officials, serving in BS-17 to BS-19, also include those belonging to technical departments like irrigation and power, livestock, and communication and works, and they will study their related subjects.

The scholarship is from the provincial government, and it includes tuition fees, lodging and boarding, and a reasonable subsistence allowance.

Officials informed Dawn on Thursday that a total of 52 officials had applied for the scholarships. Out of them, 35 were short-listed by a committee, while another committee headed by P&D Chairman Sami Saeed finally selected 32 officials. The remaining three were asked to first select their subjects and then appear for interviews.

Those going to Singapore were selected separately.

“We will post the officials upon their return home specifically in the areas of their education. And the purpose of the scholarship is to prepare a team fully aware of the latest developments in the area of education,” a senior official said.