Federal Govt to provide relief to students from flood-hit regions

Islamabad: Minister for Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain announced on Wednesday that the government will provide relief to students in the flood-hit areas of the country.

In a series of tweets, the minister mentioned that he held a meeting with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairperson, wherein it was decided that current or due university fee payments of students in the flood-hit regions will be deferred.

He maintained that a mechanism of a fee waiver will be devised and a Special Scholarship Programme will be introduced for undergrad and graduate students in the flood-affected areas of Pakistan.

According to Hussain, the meeting compromised of heads of departments and vice chancellors attached to the Ministry of Education.

He furthered that: “Doing fundraising, providing food & tents, setting up med[ical] camps and transitional schools is our top priority.”

“Our Government under the able leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is fully committed to providing maximum relief to our people suffering from flood calamity,” he added.

He said that the government stands “firm with our people and will do whatever it takes for rehabilitation”.

Around 200 school buildings have been damaged by the recent floods that disrupted educational activities in several areas of South Punjab alone.

Sources in the provincial school education department had told The Express Tribune that the floods have destroyed or damaged schools in Jampur, Taunsa, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Fazalpur and several other areas of the region.

Whereas at least 50 per cent of government-run schools in Sindh were unable to operate from August 29.

A total of 4,915 schools in all 30 districts of the province, including in the port city, have been occupied by the internally displaced persons affected by the floods.