PAKISTAN is a developing country. People are struggling in fulfilling their basic needs. Education, which is a basic right of every citizen, is getting expensive day by day. There are hundreds of public universities in Pakistan, but none offers any type of scholarship to students on a regular basis even though the fee is way beyond the capacity of the majority of those studying there.

It is mandatory for foreign scholarships to have passed specified tests. Many intelligent students have to drop the idea of applying for a foreign scholarship because of the high fees of these tests. The prime minister had announced postgraduate scholarships earlier this year, which sounded good, but the reality is not as good.

First, you have to get admission to any of the 25 universities named in the plan. Only then you can apply for a scholarship. How can a person from a middle-class family living in a deprived area apply for admission in a foreign university and sit the tests that require a huge amount?

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) should take into account the ground realities while forming its policies in order to facilitate the disadvantaged students in the real sense.

Usama Mushtaque
Hyderabad

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2023