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| India-Pakistan | |
| Worldâs biggest Fulbright scheme for Pak students | |
| 2005-12-18 | |
| From the Dept. of Are You Sure You Thought This Thing Through? The governments of Pakistan and the United States on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a new Fulbright scholarship program worth $157.5 million that will make Pakistan the biggest beneficiary of the scholarship in the world. The programme will fund 750 Pakistani students for their Masters and PhD degrees for five years in various disciplines. The US will contribute $105 million for the project and the Higher Education Commission $52.5 million. The MoU was signed by Dr Attaur Rehman, the HEC chairman, and Dr Grace Clark, the executive director of the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP). Ryan C Crocker, the US ambassador in Pakistan, was also present on the occasion. The USEFP will administer the program. Speaking after the signing ceremony, Dr Attaur Rehman said that the government was working on a strategy to move from an agricultural based economy to a knowledge-based one by providing its students more educational opportunities at the worldâs best institutes. Rehman said that the program would provide an opportunity to the students to become a part of the countryâs socio-economic development. The HEC chairman thanked the government of the United States for helping the country and said that students would gain admission to the top US universities in various disciplines, including basic and applied sciences, information technology, bio-technology, management and economy. The US ambassador termed the agreement a âhistoric momentâ that would, he said, expand the existing cooperation between the two countries and bring them closer. Crocker said that the Fulbright program was the flagship educational and cultural exchange program of the US government and with the signing of the MoU, Pakistan would have the largest Fulbright degree program in the world. Crocker said that the US government was proud of its Fulbright commission in Pakistan, the USEFP, for its record of selecting deserving candidates through open competition and its transparent administration. Crocker said that he was pleased that the USEFP had been able to negotiate an agreement that was acceptable for both the governments. He said that the recipients of this scholarship would return to Pakistan on completion of their education to serve in public and private universities and a large number of Pakistanis would benefit from their higher education. Crocker said that Pakistan would top the list of 140 countries that competed for the Fulbright scholarships. âIt is a substantial investment in Pakistanâs future and the future of Pak-US relations,â Crocker said. Dr Clark said that the development was a momentous occasion in the academic history of Pakistan. She said that it was very difficult for her to select only a few students from so many talented people that applied for the scholarship programme. Under the program, Pakistan will contribute $10.5 million to the programme annually for five years, while the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide $4.5 million annually for the same period. One hundred students will complete their Masters in physics, mathematics, biology, botany, biotechnology, information technology, social sciences, economics and management and 50 people will be funded for a PhD programme annually under the programme. The new program will operate as a companion program to the existing Fulbright/USAID Masters program, under which 100 students are sent to various US universities every year. The new program will provide funds for some students who are pursuing their PhD studies in the US.
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| Posted by:Seafarious |
| #3 I guess they couldn't find 750 kids in the U.S. that could use a free ride through a school that their parents taxes pay for. These kind of handouts piss me off. I went to U.K. and graduated with a little over $50,000 in student loans. I'll be paying on them for the next 15 years. Fuck me for trying. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2005-12-18 10:35 |
| #2 I view this as a finishing school for hard core jihadists. Perfect opportunity for the Pakis to establish double agents to work against the forces of light. Gonna win over some hearts and minds, huh? Yeah right. |
| Posted by: Mark Z. 2005-12-18 08:07 |
| #1 The programme will fund 750 Pakistani students for their Masters and PhD degrees for five years in various disciplines. The US will contribute $105 million for the project and the Higher Education Commission $52.5 million. WTF |
| Posted by: Red Dog 2005-12-18 05:38 |