Islamabad: Cabinet Secretariat Minister Engineer Usman Ibrahim on Tuesday informed the National Assembly that a proposal was under consideration to increase the scholarship amount for students from the next fiscal year.
He admitted that Rs 200 and Rs 300 scholarship amount for grade V and VIII students respectively was extremely insufficient, and the present government was working on a proposal to enhance the financial assistance for brilliant and needy students.
Responding to a calling attention notice, Usman apprised the House that Rs 3.86 million funds were allocated for disbursement among shinning students of grade V and VIII in the year 2013-14. But the Accountant General Pakistan (Revenues) had slashed the funds to Rs 700,000, which lapsed due to non-utilization and procedural delay on account of students’ admission and joining reports.
Except the year 2013-14, the Federal Directorate of Education was continuing to give scholarships to students as per routine after centralised examination for grade V and scholarship examination for class 8th. The students from all model schools of the federal capital participate in these examinations every year, he added.