ISLAMABAD, March 7: The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission has refused to entertain belated nominations of Pakistani students forwarded by the Ministry of Education for studies in the United Kingdom during the current year, sources told Dawn on Monday.

They said the scholarship, awarded to 10-12 Pakistani students every year, will not be available for 2011.

According to the procedure followed every year, the ministry held a nationwide test through the National Testing Service (NTS) on September 26 last year to select students from across the country for the scholarship.

In a letter to the ministry on July 15 last year, the Commonwealth commission had explained that it would require all nominated candidates to complete the application process electronically, mentioning December 21 last year as the closing date for receiving nominations.

Another letter on October 6 last year explained the electronic system in more detail, and offered assistance in completing the application process, if required.

But surprisingly, the ministry informed the students about their ‘nomination’ on December 29 last year, a week after the expiry of deadline for sending applications. The ministry asked the ‘selected’ students to submit applications by January 10 this year. Moreover, the ‘hard copies’ of the applications were sent a month after the deadline expired, despite the fact that the commission had asked for them electronically.

Requesting anonymity, a candidate for the scholarship deplored that the government was least pushed to realise the national loss and the sufferings of bright students at a time when joblessness was growing. He said the students who qualified for the nomination should be sent for studies abroad through government funding.