COLOMBO: Pakistan has doubled the number of scholarships for Sri Lankan students since last year, offering nearly 400 prospective doctors, engineers and academics a chance to continue higher education as their country goes through its worst economic crisis in history.
The 396 recipients of the fully funded Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships awarded by the Pakistan Higher Education Commission will soon join universities across Pakistan, as their documents began to be processed on Tuesday, officials at the High Commission of Pakistan in Sri Lanka said.
Among them, 50 students will pursue primary medical degrees, 50 engineering and 20 postgraduate degrees in sciences.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner Maj. Gen. (R) Umar Farooq Burki told Arab News the scholarships were aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries.
“We came to offer these scholarships because of the strong bilateral relations maintained with friendly Sri Lanka,” he told Arab News.
The island nation of 22 million people has been reeling from the worst financial crisis since independence from Britain in 1948 with Sri Lankans facing acute shortages of basic goods that have sparked unprecedented protests and forced a change in government since the beginning of the year.
“We are thankful to Pakistan for this magnanimity which helps us to get our youths qualified in much-needed sectors,” Sri Lanka’s Honorary Consul General for Pakistan, Afzal Marikar, told Arab News, saying 200 Sri Lankan students were awarded the scholarship last year.
For many who will begin their studies in Pakistan, the opportunity is life changing as the future of their own country remains uncertain.
“I cannot afford higher studies in medicine,” said Haleem Faiz, who was selected for a Bachelor of Medicine degree, and wants to become a cardiologist in the future. “This scholarship is a godsend for me.”
Sihara Gunaratne, who will study at Karachi Medical and Dental College, said she was grateful she would be able to join the prestigious institution.
“It’s a fully funded scholarship, which includes board lodging and the passage to and from Karachi,” she added.
Pakistani scholarships have for years helped Sri Lankans.
Hamdani Anver, director of tertiary care services at the Ministry of Health, told Arab News he was able to reach his current position because of the educational opportunity offered by the Pakistan government.
“I completed my medical degree in a university in Pakistan,” he told Arab News. “I am what I am today because of the comprehensive education I got from here.”
