Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The HEC Wednesday held a send-off ceremony for 259 students who have won scholarships to study in top Hungarian universities at different levels under the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme. Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was chief guest of the ceremony, while Chairman HEC Nadeem Mahbub, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Hungary in Islamabad Dr. Dora Gunsberger, Advisor Human Resource Development Division HEC Engr. Muhammad Raza Chohan and other notables were also present on the occasion. The ceremony was attended by faculty and parents of the scholarship recipients.
Addressing the ceremony, the federal minister congratulated the scholarship recipients on their accomplishment. He appreciated HEC and Embassy of Hungary for taking forward the collaborative bilateral relations. “Pakistan is a developing country blessed with a huge young population,” he said. We needed such opportunities for our youth, he said, underscoring that such privileges not only brought pride but also immense responsibilities.
He expressed confident that the youth would realize their full potential, exploit the opportunity and fulfill their responsibilities in their coming academic journey.
Extending congratulations to the students and parents, Nadeem Mahbub, reaffirmed that HEC was always committed in creating opportunities for the country’s youth.
“We are thankful to Hungary for gradually increasing the number of scholarships,” he emphasized.
He focused that the students for this scholar programme were selected from across the country including Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, interior Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and other.
He termed the award ceremony as a moment of pride for the awardees, as they were selected among 1400 applicants.
“You are going to represent Pakistan at international level, so make the best use of this opportunity,” the Chairman advised the students.
Deputy Head of Mission Dr. Dora Gunsberger expressed her pleasure on seeing happy faces.
She shed light on the start of programme in 2016 with a few scholarships, followed by gradual increase in the number over the years. She advised the awardees to be prepared for good experiences as well as challenges.
“This is a beginning of a new journey where you will face challenges as well, but it is all part of learning process,” she focused.
She termed the award of scholarships a gift to the winners.
In his welcome remarks earlier, Advisor Human Resource Development Division HEC Engr. Muhammad Raza Chohan highlighted the significance of the scholarship programme, focusing on students to fully avail themselves of the opportunity and enrich their personal, academic and professional perspectives. The ceremony also featured alumni of the scholarship programme who shared their experiences, serving as guiding lights for the outgoing scholars.
The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme was started with an initial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in December 2015, which facilitated 80 annual scholarships over three years. The first batch of 64 students embarked on their academic journey to Hungary in September 2016, marking a successful start.
A revised MoU in 2017 elevated the annual scholarship count to 200, followed by a renewal in 2020, extending the partnership until December 2022. The latest agreement underscored a substantial expansion, offering up to 400 scholarships annually across diverse educational levels for another three years, from 2023 to 2025.
Furthermore, Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme is a fully-funded initiative for Bachelor’s, Master’s, One-Tier Master’s and PhD studies across various disciplines, including Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Biological Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Health Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences.
