PESHAWAR, Sept 12: Japan’s ambassador Seiji Kojima on Wednesday assured of his country’s support in enhancing higher education in Pakistan.

Addressing the award distribution ceremony of the Japanese need-based scholarship for Pakistani university student programme here, Mr Kojima said that education was key to progress and prosperity.

He said that under the scholarship programme, Japan would give special preference to students from the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and urged the students from tribal areas to apply for the scholarship.

The envoy said that under non-project grant aid, the government of Japan had provided around Rs600 million to the Higher Education Commission, providing scholarships to 1,500 students from 26 universities over a five-year period.

Mr Kojima felicitated the 33 students of the Institute of Management Sciences (IMS) of Peshawar who were selected under the scheme and hoped that through their hard work and dedication, they would prove to be an asset to their country.

He said that Japan was cur rently assisting 65 educational institutions in Fata region. —PPI