The Sindh government has sanctioned 2,723 scholarships for students pursuing higher education under the Sindh Education Endowment Fund Trust (SEEF). The approval was granted during a board meeting chaired by Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, who also serves as the chairman of the SEEF Board of Trustees.
These scholarships, covering the academic year 2023–24, are aimed at supporting students from Sindh studying in over 90 public and private universities across the country. The board meeting was held in Karachi and attended by officials including College Education Secretary Shahab Qamar Ansari, School Education Secretary Zahid Ali Abbasi, and SEEF board members.
Minister Shah said the fund was created to help underprivileged but capable students continue their education without financial hurdles. He emphasised the goal of ensuring equal access to quality education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In addition to the new awards, the board also approved the renewal of scholarships for 4,877 continuing students, bringing the total number of beneficiaries this year to 7,600. SEEF’s capital currently stands at Rs9.2 billion, and the fund’s profit is used to pay tuition fees for scholarship holders.
To improve the process, the board decided to propose measures in its next meeting that would connect SEEF scholarships with university admissions. The education minister noted that many students are unable to secure admission due to financial barriers and stressed the need for a more seamless application process.
Minister Shah ordered the complete digitisation of the application procedure, including the development of an online dashboard and automated scrutiny system to increase transparency and efficiency. He also criticised the absence of university vice-chancellors—who are board members—at the meeting, urging them to participate actively in future deliberations.
Since its inception in 2003, the Sindh Education Endowment Fund Trust has provided scholarships to more than 37,550 students for higher education.
Separately, the Sindh government has announced new eligibility criteria for girls’ stipends for the academic year 2024–25. The stipends will only be available to girls enrolled in government schools that have valid SEMIS codes under the Schools Education and Literacy Department.
Only students in classes VI, IX, and X will qualify for the stipend, provided they maintain at least 60% attendance during the five-month period from August to December 2024.
