Pak students abroad in the soup without stipends

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani students of Cultural Exchange Scholarship from the erstwhile Ministry of Education have not been given scholarship for the last five months as they find it hard to continue their studies without monthly stipend.

Under Cultural Exchange Scholarship programme, the students have been sent to Turkey, Czech Republic, China, Greece, Egypt, Tunis and a few other countries for Masters and PhD programmes. Some of the students are in the middle of their studies while others are about to complete their respective programmes.

This is not the first time that the students have not been given scholarships on regular basis. For the last three years, the monthly stipends have not been given on time which makes living and study for the students very difficult.

Jamal Shah, a PhD scholar in Turkey, through an electronic mail told ‘The News’ that if they don’t receive scholarship, they won’t survive and would be forced to leave their studies and go back to Pakistan where they won’t find jobs without the degree. “Our time and government’s money will all go in vain,” he added.

It is to be noted that students are not allowed to do jobs under this programme so they have no other means of making a livelihood.

Despite repeated requests by the students to Inter-provincial Coordination Committee, which now deals with the scholars, for the release of their due monthly stipend, no action has been taken so far. The committee does not even give information about the status of their scholarships.

Cultural exchange scholarships are routed through Higher Education Commission (HEC) but it says that they have not received any funds to this effect. Students in Turkey in a meetingcalled upon the government and concerned departments to release their scholarship without further delay otherwise they will resort to legal course of action.

Speaking on behalf of the students in Turkey, Ashfaq Ahmed, said that they would move the Supreme Court if scholarship was not released. “We are on the edge and have no source of income except for our scholarship. If we don’t get it on time, we are left with no choice,” said Ashfaq Ahmed.

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