Cambridge scholarship opportunities for Pakistani students

In conjunction with the commemoration of Cambridge University’s 800th anniversary, school officials announced a scholarship programme that will admit as many as 15 Pakistani undergraduate students to the prestigious UK institution.

The programme, funded through the Cambridge Assessment Department, offers an opportunity to expand historic links between the two countries, and expresses the university’s commitment to the youth of Pakistan. Almost US$2 million will be available to cover university fees, maintenance and travel costs for the scholarship programme in its first five years.

The Cambridge Assessment is a not-for-profit organisation and a department of the university. It oversees the varsity’s three examination boards: the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR), English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).

“The new scholarship programme for undergraduates from Pakistan will start in the academic year 2010-2011”, said Cambridge Assessment Chief Executive Simon Lebus. Prospective applicants will be interviewed in Pakistan in October and November this year.

“We play an important role in supporting the university's outreach mission", Lebus said. "In doing so [we] provide opportunities for more and more young people to access the benefits of education.”

According to Ann Puntis, Cambridge's international examinations chief executive, “This year several Pakistani students secured top global scores in a number of different … subjects, including economics, psychology, mathematics, chemistry and literature … The Pakistani high achievers are very creative and enthusiastic learners. Pakistani teachers were also continuously augmenting their learning base and holding workshops for them.” She asserted they characterised potential Pakistani applicants for admission to Cambridge next year.

The last date for the submission of applications for the scholarship is September 20. More information on the Cambridge scholarship programme is available at www.cam.ac.uk.

Reported by: Amna Nasir Jamal

IDB and the University of Cambridge Launch a Joint Scholarship Program

IDB-Cambridge University Joint Scholarship Program

Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust and Cambridge Overseas Trust have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on April 9, 2009 to launch the IDB-Cambridge International Scholarship Program. The signing ceremony as held in the Cambridge, England was attended by senior officials of the university and the IDB.

The joint program has been launched within the scope of IDB Merit Scholarship Program for Science and Hi-Technology to place talented and meritorious students from IDB member states and Muslim Communities in non-member countries for 3-year Ph.D. study and research at the University of Cambridge.

This joint program with the Cambridge University, the second top-ranked university of the world in research and higher education, would significantly contribute to the human resources development of IDD member states. In his speech during the ceremony, Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Ali, President of the IDB, stressed that such partnership with an outstanding institution of knowledge would help build future leaders in OIC member states.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Cambridge termed launching of this joint program as a new dimension of the university activities to reach-out emerging and developing countries. She emphasized that the university has a moral role to play to harmonize relationship between developed and developing nations to cater for world peace and stability. She hoped that this partnership is an important step to achieve that aim.

Science and Technology Office of the Islamic Development Bank has already in place a number of scholarship program for OIC member states. IDB-COMSTECH MSc Scholarship Program is one of these initiatives the Bank has taken to make science and technology the driving engine for development in the OIC region. In this regard, COMSTECH and IDB share the vision and have a greater level of cooperation.

Reported by: Ameen Amjad