160 bright Sri Lankan students receive prestigious Jinnah Scholarship Awards for 2016

Minister Rauf Hakeem, Minister Fouzi and Pakistan HC Syed Shakeel Hussain in a group photo with students                           

The High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka Maj General (R) Shakeel Hussain reiterated Pakistan’s continued support to Sri Lanka in enhancing the younger generation’s nation building capacities with better educational opportunities.

He was speaking on the occasion of awarding of educational scholarships worth Rs. 3.84 million, to 160 bright Sri Lankan students of O/L and A/L under the Jinnah Educational Scholarship Program of the Government of Pakistan. 

Minister for City Planning and Water Supply Rauf Hakeem was the Chief Guest on the occasion, while Guests of honour included State Minister for National Integration and Reconciliation A.H.M. Fouzi, Secretary Higher Education, D.C. Dissanayake, Vice Chancellor Buddhist & Pali University Ven. Prof.Gallelle Sumanasiri Thero, Senior government officials and Vice Chancellors of the leading universities. Senior Officers of the High Commission as well as other dignitaries participated in the ceremony besides a large number of students and media personnel. 

The High Commissioner in his brief remarks congratulated the students qualified for scholarship for the current year. He said people in Pakistan greatly admire Sri Lanka’s remarkable progress in the fields of health and education. He underlined that Pakistan seeks to expand its cooperation with Sri Lanka in the field of education and hoped that cooperation with Sri Lankan in the education sector would not only help improve standards of schools but also the curriculum.

He stated that Pakistan has a number of world class Universities, with world renowned research facilities in the fields of particle physics, industrial chemistry, bio-technology, genetic engineering, information technology and management sciences among others. ‘I am sure our universities can accommodate more Sri Lankan students in these diverse fields,’ he added.

The Chief Guest Minister Rauf Hakeem in his address praised the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah which emancipated the people of sub continents from colonialism. He said that the Pakistan government’s support in the education of the needy Sri Lanka students shows its commitment toward bilateral cooperation between the two countries.  Rauf Hakeem further said that Pakistan is a close friend of Sri Lanka and has helped Sri Lanka in times of crisis throughout the history. He said that this scholarship program has benefited students from all communities for past 10 years to create better professionals amongst the young citizens for the future benefit of this country.

The Government of Pakistan has been awarding the Jinnah Educational Scholarships since 2005. During the past 11 years approx Rs. 45 million worth of scholarships have been awarded for promoting bright Sri Lankan students.  The scholarships are awarded on the basis of a strict criteria involving merit and need for financial assistance. Under the program, each successful student receives a stipend as assistance for one year for pursuing their studies.  The scholarships are named after the great statesman and leader of the Sub Continent, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who is the founder of Pakistan.  In addition to the Jinnah Educational Scholarships, every year the Government of Pakistan offers fully funded scholarships in Medicine, Engineering, Pharmacy and Dentistry to Sri Lankan students so as to pursue higher professional education in Pakistan.