KEY POINTS
- Major HEC allocations include scholarships for Afghan students, university upgrades, and international scholarship programs.
- 1,000 million will fund 12 new HEC projects, including scholarships for friendly countries and new university campuses.
- The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (FEPT) received Rs. 18,580 million for ongoing and new educational projects.
- Key FEPT initiatives include youth skills development, Daanish Schools, and new institutions in Islamabad for children and girls’ education.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Government has earmarked Rs. 39,488 million under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to fund 140 projects—including 128 ongoing and 12 new schemes—for the fiscal year 2025–26.
According to the budget documents released on Wednesday, Rs. 38,488.216 million has been allocated for ongoing initiatives, while Rs. 1,000 million is designated for new projects.
Among the ongoing schemes, key allocations include Rs. 500 million for awarding 3,000 Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships to Afghan students (under the Prime Minister’s directive), and Rs. 200 million for constructing an academic block at Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad.
Other significant allocations include Rs. 250 million for the development of the main campus of Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, and Rs. 500 million for upgrading the National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi.
The government has also set aside Rs. 611 million for the establishment of Kamyab Jawan Sports Academies and Youth Olympics initiatives, and Rs. 558 million for the University of Baltistan, Skardu.
Additionally, Rs. 100 million is allocated to the Fulbright Scholarship Support Program (HEC-USAID Phase-III), Rs. 2,300 million for the Overseas Scholarship Program for MS/MPhil leading to PhD (Phase III), and Rs. 3,670 million for the PhD Scholarship Program under the Pak-US Knowledge Corridor (Phase I). Rs. 800 million will go toward establishing the Pak-Korea Nutrition Centre (PKNC) to enhance child and community nutrition.
Among the new initiatives, Rs. 50 million has been allocated for Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships for students from Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, and other friendly countries.
The government will also spend Rs. 100 million to establish a new campus of the Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design in Karachi. Furthermore, Rs. 150 million each has been allocated for setting up a university campus in Muzaffargarh and for the UVAS Campus in Pattoki.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government allocated Rs 18,580 million under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the fiscal year 2025-26 to support both ongoing and new projects under the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (FEPT).
According to budget documents released on Tuesday, Rs 18,280 million has been designated for ongoing projects, while Rs 300 million is set aside for new initiatives.
Key allocations among ongoing projects include Rs 164 million for 1,600 scholarships for students from Indian Occupied Kashmir, as per the Prime Minister’s Directive (4th Revised).
Additionally, Rs 4,300 million has been earmarked for the Prime Minister’s Youth Skills Development Programme, and Rs 1,000 million for the Pakistan Education Endowment Fund.
The government has also allocated Rs 900 million to improve basic education infrastructure in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) schools under the Federal Directorate of Education.
A substantial Rs 1,800 million has been set aside for establishing Daanish Schools in ICT’s Kuri area, while Rs 8,000 million has been allocated for setting up Daanish Schools in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and Balochistan.
For new projects, Rs 100 million has been allocated for the creation of three educational institutions: a Centre of Excellence for Children with Autism at H-11/4, Islamabad Model College for Girls (Prep-XII) in B-17, Multi Gardens, and Islamabad Model College for Girls (Prep-XII) in F-17/2, Multi Professional Cooperative Housing Society.
