Facing financial crunch, the National ICT R&D Fund has decided to slash the number of scholarships to 165 from 500 under the Prime Minister's National ICT R&D scholarship programme (PMNICTSP), it is learnt. According to the documents available, Project Appraisal Committee (PAC) has discussed the programme at length in view of mandate of the R&D Fund Company and resolved the following:
The PAC resolved to recommend PMNICTSP programme for the fall intake 2016 only with award of 150 fully funded 4-year scholarships in ICT disciplines as HRD solicited project to the board. Considering the need of scholarship programme and disproportion of funding in Human Resource Development (HRD) and Research and Development (R&D) programmes in previous years, National ICT R&D Fund can offer limited number of scholarships for the forthcoming fall 2016 intake. It will give the access to deserving talented youth of Pakistan to quality education and also help National ICT R&D Fund to balance out its funding in both HRD and R&D initiatives.
Accordingly, limited number of 165 fully funded four-year undergraduate degree scholarships in ICT related disciplines will be offered in fall 2016 intake to deserving talented youth of Pakistan (including AJK, FATA and Gilgit-Baltistan) in HEC recognised universities of Pakistan. The PMNICTSP programme is proposed to be a one year intake programme starting from fall 2016 intake; batch will be graduating in July 2020.
Based on the past 5 year experience 9.7% female students normally secure scholarships every year on merit. As directed by the ICT R&D board in its 41st meeting, 15 (10pc) additional seats can be allocated for female students. Total cost will rise up to 290 million for 150 scholarships.
In 2007, National ICT R&D Fund executed a comprehensive outreach scholarship programme in which 6100 students from all over Pakistan were trained in phase-I in problem solving skills. 700 teachers were trained for imparting training in modern pedagogical techniques for this phase.
In the phase-II, 390 students were offered scholarships worth Rs 545 million. These students were offered scholarships in the top ranking ICT related universities (FAST-NU, GIKI and NUST-IT) of Pakistan. The program was approved, by ECNEC for five years (2007-2011), as per parameters of the approved PC-1, for the total budget of Rs 2,414.84 million. In the year 2008, total number of scholarships was increased to 550, with a total of 11 universities participating in the program. A total of upto Rs 440 million worth of scholarships were offered.
In the year 2009, the total number of scholarships was increased to 737, with a total of 10 universities participating in the program. A total of upto Rs 560 million worth of scholarships were offered. In the year 2010, 580 scholarships were offered, with a total of 10 universities participating in the program. A total of upto Rs 464 million worth of scholarships were awarded on merit.
PMNICTSP-2011 has been executed in two parts ie fall intake 2011 and spring intake 2012. 729 scholarships were offered under fall intake program, with a total of 19 universities participating in the program. A total of up to Rs 610 million worth of scholarships were awarded on merit. 189 more scholarships were offered to the qualified candidates under PMNICTSP.
So far, two phases of the programme have been offered; Phase-I was launched in 2007, whereas second phase of the program was initiated in 2012 for 3 years. Last intake of students was in 2014 and it shall conclude in 2018 once this batch completes its 4 years of undergraduate study.
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