Balochistan govt, London college sign agreement to provide scholarships to Baloch students

The Balochistan government has signed an agreement with the London College of Business Management and Information Technology (LCBMIT) to provide scholarships to Baloch students at universities in United Kingdom.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Balochistan government and the London College of Business Management and Information Technology (LCBMIT) at the Balochistan House in Karachi on Saturday.

The LCBMIT will provide scholarships to the students of Balochistan through the provincial government for obtaining higher education in the UK

The agreement was signed by Baluchistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik and LCBMIT’s Toaha Qureshi. The central figures behind the deal are Akram Kaimkhani and Senator Hasil Bizenjo.

The scholarships worth £98,000 include two 12-month scholarships for postgraduate programmes in LLM international commercial law worth £18,000 and 10 scholarships at 50 percent fees for LLM international commercial law one-year graduate programme amounting to £40,000.

These scholarships are being awarded under the social welfare mission “Alleviating Poverty through Making People Employable” initiated by the LCBMIT and a UK-based think tank Stockwell Green Community Services’ Forum for International Relations Development (FIRD).

The scholars would be nominated by the Balochistan government. A committee headed by the chief minister would be formed to consider applications submitted by prospective candidates. The approved applications would then be forwarded to the LCBMIT.

To ensure merit, the scholarships will only cover the tuition fees for the first study year alone and the scholarship’s continuation would be decided on the basis of proper attendance, results, merit and progression.

Recognising the need for education for the social and economic development of Balochistan, the chief minister has encouraged investors to come to the province, which is home to around 10 million people.

The Balochistan government will collaborate with the British Deputy High Commission to ensure the smooth running of the immigration process. The British government provides £650m in aid every year to Pakistan for higher education. But the Balochistan government receives no funds from the grants while the major portion goes to Punjab.

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