ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced a higher education scholarship program for students from Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Wednesday.

Balochistan has a low literacy rate compared to the rest of Pakistan. The gender gap in education is also significant. 

In 2022–2023, Balochistan’s literacy rate was 54.5 percent, the lowest in Pakistan. The literacy rate for women in Balochistan is lower than the national average. In some districts, like Washuk and Kharan, female literacy is less than 10 percent, according to official data. Across the province, only 34 percent of girls attend school, compared to 52 percent of boys. More than 60 percent of government schools in Balochistan lack electricity and 45 percent operate without clean water. Classrooms are overcrowded, with a pupil-teacher ratio of 50:1.

“The UAE has announced a scholarship program for students of Balochistan to promote higher education in the province,” Radio Pakistan reported. “Under the scholarship, 25 candidates including five girls have been selected from different districts of the province after conducting written tests.”

Students selected for the scholarship thanked the Pakistan and UAE governments for the “educational journey milestone.”

One of the girls selected for the scholarship, Husun Bano, a resident of Turbat district, said in a video message the scholarship offered her a way to fulfill her childhood dreams.

Another student identified as Malik Lehri, a resident of the provincial capital of Quetta, said he would be completing his civil engineering bachelor’s degree from Abu Dhabi University. 

Earlier this month, the Balochistan government had announced fully funded scholarships for talented students from the province.

In 2018, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Al-Maliki announced 50 scholarships for Balochistan students to allow them to study in Saudi universities.