Sindh HEC to award scholarships worth Rs 40m

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah announced on Thursday that the Sindh Higher Education Commission (SHEC) would be awarding scholarships worth Rs40 million to the students of public and private universities on a merit-cum-need basis during the current financial year.

He said this while presiding over a meeting of the SHEC. The CM said under the new scholarship programme, the students of public universities would be given scholarships to pursue bachelor's, master's, MPhil and PhD degrees, and the students of private universities would receive grants for pursuing master's, MPhil and PhD degrees.

Data for the award of scholarships has been collected, the meeting was told.

Smart classrooms

Besides, SHEC chairperson Dr Asim Hussain informed the meeting the provincial higher education commission had launched a programme to establish smart classrooms in public-sector universities across Sindh.

Briefing the CM on the matter, he said the commission had approved funding for setting up smart classrooms in seven universities in the first phase.

At that, the CM said, "The concept of smart classrooms in universities is an innovative idea. In the current environment, e-learning and online education is the need of the hour."

He gave cheques to the representatives of Shaikh Ayaz University, Shikarpur, Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women University, Sukkur, the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University of Technology and Skill Development, Khairpur, Government College University, Hyderabad and Shaheed Allah Buksh Soomro University of Arts, Design and Heritages, Jamshoro.

Support for seminars

Moreover, the CM was told that the in order to enhance and promote the culture of teaching and research, the SHEC was providing financial support to public universities for organizing seminars, conferences, workshops and symposia.

The SHEC has received proposals from nine universities for the assistance and on the recommendation of the review committee, Rs8.8m has been approved for the University of Sindh, Jamshoro, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women University, Sukkur, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Sakrand and University of Sufism and Modern Sciences, Bhit Shah.

Decision regarding other proposal will be made shortly, the meeting was informed.

Funds for lab, research

On the occasion, the CM also distributed cheques worth Rs5 billion among five the representatives of five universities each for the establishment of IT labs. The varsities that received the grant are Shaikh Ayaz University, Shikarpur, Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women University, Sukkur, Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University of Technology and Skill Development, Khairpur, Government College University, Hyderabad and Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University Lyari.

Moreover, cheques worth Rs45.7m were distributed for 26 research projects of the faculty of the University of Sindh Jamshoro, University of Karachi, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, Dow University of Health Sciences, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, Institute of Business Administration, Sukkur, Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women University, Sukkur and Government College University, Hyderabad.