A little goes a long way: achieving impact through financial aid

"My family and I were forced to migrate four years ago. We were suffering financially and mentally so I was unable to continue my education. When I heard about the scholarship, it came as a real blessing to me and it changed my life,” says Zainab Tariq, an award-holder from Balochistan who is pursuing an MA in Educational Leadership and Management under the Pakistan Scottish Scholarships Scheme.

Zainab is one of 104 young women who have been awarded scholarships under the scheme. Bright, hard-working young women belonging to disadvantaged backgrounds and hailing from areas all over Pakistan have won awards under the scheme to pursue Master’s courses in education, sustainable energy, and food security and agriculture in various Universities in Pakistan. 20 students from Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur (Sindh) were nominated to receive this scholarship in May 2014, after a recommendation from the university.

These young women belong to rural as well as underprivileged urban areas in regions such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Sindh and Punjab.

The Pakistan Scottish Scholarship Scheme is a grant funded by the Scottish Government, specifically in order to create opportunities for young women in Pakistan to be able to pursue higher education at the post-graduate level. The scheme aims to facilitate and provide assistance to young women from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue a Masters’ degree in Pakistani universities.

The Pakistan Scottish Scholarships Scheme was initiated in 2013 with funds from the Scottish Government, and is implemented by the Education team at British Council Pakistan and has seen remarkable impact. The recipients include young women studying away from home as well as those who are unable to travel far from their places of residence. Also included are those who have faced bereavement, divorce and the challenges of living without a male family member in an overwhelmingly patriarchal society, as well as those who belong to areas affected by conflict, natural disasters and abject poverty.

A total grant of £300,000 has been given for this scheme, as of March 2014. This was provided in two instalments of £150,000 each, in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Each instalment provides scholarships covering the full duration of a master’s course, whether it is for one year or two years.

The scheme’s success has led to its scaling up to include scholarships at the school level in 2014. Scholarships for both boys and girls have been offered for the first time this year, reaching over 1,300 students in primary and secondary schools nationwide. Through the provision of financial aid, the scheme endeavours to assist underprivileged schoolchildren in overcoming barriers related to access, retention, quality and gender and social parity. Given that Pakistan has the second largest number of out of school children in the world, this effort is more significant than ever.

Children who have been awarded to date have inspirational stories to tell of their experiences. Areeba Yousaf, age 15, belongs to rural Azad Jammu and Kashmir, in north-east Pakistan and walks 1.5 kilometres every day just to get to school. Even when the challenges of physical endurance and mobility cannot stop such students, the lack of financial stability proves to be an obstacle. For these students, the scholarship supplements their efforts and enthusiasm, and attempts to go some way in overcoming certain challenges of the education system .

What is even more inspiring is the determination and ambition of the students who have won the scholarship and want to give back. This is best shown by the young women who have now completed a year under the scheme. Zainab Tariq states, "Balochistan is one of the places where people are still deprived of basic educational facilities and I will try to play my part to help them get their basic right as a human being."

Armed with postgraduate degrees and overwhelming ambition, the award-holders illustrate the words of the World Bank Chief Economist, who proclaimed, “Investment in girls’ education may well be the highest return investment available in the developing world”.

The Pakistan Scottish Scholarships Scheme strives to do just that.

For additional information and a look at how the scheme has benefited Pakistani post-graduate students, a short video can be viewed here.
http://vimeo.com/100184045

To know more about the scholarship criteria please click here
http://www.britishcouncil.pk/scholarships-0

This scholarship covers study at the Masters’ level at any HEC-recognised university in any part of Pakistan. The names of these universities can be found at: http://www.hec.gov.pk/ourinstitutes/pages/default.aspx

The scheme is being directly administered by British Council Pakistan, with support from universities where the award-holders are currently studying.
For further information, please write to ps3@britishcouncil.org.pk

Contact the SIEM team:
Ayesha Zaheer
Consultant BCSIEM
Ayesha.zaheer@britishcouncil.org.pk