ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Tuesday held a ceremony for 200 Pakistani students selected for Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship. Out of 200 scholarships, 125 scholarships have been awarded for BS studies, 50 for MS studies and 25 for PhD programmes. The selected students belong to various disciplines including Computer Science, Engineering, Business Administration and Management, Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, Petroleum Geoengineering, Earth Sciences, Applied Economics, Biology, Nursing and Patient Care, and Chemistry. These Pakistani students will acquire higher education in various Hungarian universities including University of Debrecen, University of Pécs, Eötvös Lorand University, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Széchenyi István University, University of Dunaújváros, University of Miskolc, and Eötvös Lorand University to name a few. Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Balighur Rehman said that the government of Pakistan was committed to providing a better environment to the Pakistani youth. “The government has remarkably increased funding for tertiary education,” he said, adding that the number of out-of-school children had also dropped considerably. Ambassador of Hungary in Pakistan Szabo Istavan said the government of Hungary attached great importance to bilateral relations with Pakistan. “Investment in education sector is indeed investment in the future. It will help further improve bilateral relations,” he said, adding that the two countries had a long history of diplomatic relations spanning over half a century. Published in Daily Times, August 16th 2017.