The United States has provided $45 million to support universities in the areas affected by violent extremism to help students of these areas continue their higher education. The US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson signed the agreement on Wednesday to provide the financial assistance of $45 million (Rs 3.7 billion) here at a ceremony held at the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
The financial assistance will cover cost of one years' university fee waivers for over 7,000 students from Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) families of 28 universities. Speaking on the occasion, the US ambassador said there has been co-operation between the US and different sectors of Pakistan including education.
Referring to $45 million for higher education, she said, "This is another chapter in the US government's support for Pakistan's courageous response to violent extremism." She said, "We also consider our contribution to be a powerful investment in Pakistan's future as investing in education is securing the future."
The US ambassador said ranking of university development of any country in the world is a key factor for determining the ranking of the country in technology and social development in future. Ambassador Patterson said, "US remains committed for long term partnership with Pakistan in different fields, especially in education, technology and power sectors."
Referring to importance of higher education, she said, "The young men and women studying engineering, environmental studies, agriculture and management will ultimately develop sustainable solutions for energy consumption, create efficient water management system and maximise agriculture potential." She said the education of the girls is also particularly important as they represent half of Pakistan's intellectual potential.
The ambassador regretted that a number of schools were destroyed by the extremists in different parts of Pakistan. She said in last year, the United States had provided more that $400 million for relief, reconstruction and development in areas where Pakistan is fighting against militancy to help rebuild infrastructure and support populations displaced by conflict.
She said in these parts of the country, it is inspiring that Pakistan's public universities continue to operate and grow. The ambassador assured that the United States would continue to support Pakistan's efforts to build a more prosperous and secure future.
Ambassador Patterson hoped that Pakistan and Untied States would expand collaboration with Higher Education Commission for developing and strengthening public university partnership to build these universities as centres of excellence. On the occasion, Chairman HEC Dr Javaid R. Laghari said although, the HEC has been providing assistance to the students for their higher education but its resources are limited and it needs international support in this regard.
He said education is the best investment for any nation to secure its future, therefore, more funds are needed to provide educational facilities for increasing number of students. Professor Dr Sohail H. Naqvi, Executive Director of HEC highlighting the achievements of the Commission said number of students in the age of 17 to 23 have been increasing every year.-PR
Comments
Comments are closed.