ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The federal government has approved Rs 21.6 billion for Prime Minister’s Fee Reimbursement Scheme till 2021-22 to facilitate students of less developed areas of the Country to pursue their higher studies.
The scheme was required financial allocation of Rs 21.6 billion excluding estimated liabilities of Rs 11.23 billion beyond for fiscal year 2021-22.
The Higher Education Commission (HEC), which had proposed required funding for the scheme, has so far disbursed around Rs 7.5 billion to 149,695 students of less developed areas.
The Chairman HEC Dr Mukhtar Ahmad told the state-run news agency on Thursday that the Commission would start its implementation for the coming years on the Scheme after issuance of letter by the federal cabinet.
Dr Mukhtar Ahmad said that the scheme would be extended to 114 districts of Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), South Punjab, Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
It merits mentioned here that the contribution of this scheme is visible from the fact that accessibility to higher education in less developed areas have increased by 15 per cent.
In this regard the resolve of National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training in supporting poor and under privileged segments of the society to have equitable and easy access to higher education is commendable and appreciative.
The fee re-imbursement scheme was initially approved on June 1st, 2012 for students of Balochistan, FATA, and Gilgit-Baltistan. While in 2013-2014, the scheme become part of PM youth program and legibility extended to specified district of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In 2016-17, refugees of Jammu and Kashmir were also included in the beneficiaries of the scheme.
