Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Dr. Sania Nishtar Tuesday visited Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) to hold a policy consultation on Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarships with the brilliant and deserving students. Dr. Sania sat with Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship awards of 2020-21 in the grounds of the university. “I am delighted that for Fiscal Year 2020/21, a total of 90,000 scholarships worth Rs. 8.4 Billion are being awarded to deserving yet talented students including 51% scholarships for girls. The need cum merit based Ehsaas scholarship covers 100% tuition fee and a monthly living stipend”, said Dr. Sania. At the university, Dr. Sania was warmly received by the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Dr. Muhammad Ali and other faculty members. More than 50 boys and girls participated in the policy dialogue, which enabled exchange of ideas on how young boys and girls from lagging areas can benefit from the Ehsaas’ merit and need based scholarship. Lauding the scale of the Ehsaas scholarships, the students shared that they were able to pursue their higher education only because of the support they received through Ehsaas undergraduate scholarship programme. Otherwise, their families would have to sell jewelry and livestock as they were unable to pay for their university fees and expenses. Girl recipients under Ehsaas undergraduate scholarships appreciated that half of the scholarships are reserved for girls. Students also shared their academic ambitions and problems that they had faced to pursue higher education. Students who came to the table with Dr. Sania were from diverse regional and social backgrounds including Bahawalpur, Hyderabad, Khairpur, Zhob, Turbat, Gilgit, Ghizer, Chitral and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. They were studying in different undergraduate disciplines-Bioinformatics, Economics, Social Sciences, Archaeology, Botany and Pakistan Studies etc. Encouraging students to benefit from Ehsaas undergraduate scholarship programme, Dr. Sania stated, “Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship Policy has been designed to ensure that no student is deprived of higher education because he or she is unable to meet the financial requirements. Every student who is admitted to a 4–5-year undergraduate degree programme at any of 119 public sector universities with a family income below the threshold of Rs. 45,000/month is eligible to apply, and scholarships are given out based on merit.” Describing the process followed for the award of Ehsaas scholarships, Dr. Ali said, “As many as 451 Ehsaas scholarships have been granted to deserving students in the two years.