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By Shabbir Hussain
ISLAMABAD, DEC 16, Diplomatic Star (DS): Resident Representative of Hanns Seidel Foundation Pakistan (HSF) Dr. Steffen Kudella Thursday said education is the most sustainable form of international cooperation and political stabilization.
He expressed these remarks during an inauguration dinner in the honor of those Afghan Refugees’s children who successfully secured Hanns Seidel Scholarship organized by the HSF Pakistan in collaboration with its implementation partner National Dialogue Forum (NDF).
Dr. Steffen Kudella said that the objectives of this new flagship project Hanns Seidel Scholarship Program (HSSP) to support educational activities of Afghan Refugees’s children who were enrolled in all Pakistani public sector universities.
Through this scholarship program, extensive support will be provided to registered Afghan refugees studying at Pakistani universities.
All selected students would get brand new laptop’s in a bid to support educational activities along with conceptual support, the scholarship holders will also be given the opportunity to equip themselves with professional skills through on-the-job trainings, he added.
Replying to a question of a journalist Shabbir Hussain having association with APP and Diplomatic Star, Dr. Steffen said “Afghanistan needs young people who are talented, well-educated, professionally experienced, and contributing to the inclusive rebuilding of their home country”. He said “Afghanistan needs agents of positive change”.
Dr. Steffen informed that the first 23 selected HSSP scholarship holders were presented with HSSP Laptops for their academic studies.
Earlier, in a press briefing, replying to a question about what does Afghanistan need most in the long run, Dr Steffen said through the Hanns Seidel Scholarship Program aimed at to support the education and training of such young Afghans in Pakistan who would play their proactive and a significant role in their home country when they returned.
He said “ We want to strengthen stability in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region and beyond”.
For many development experts, he said education is the most sustainable form of international cooperation and political stabilization: Give someone food, and you will feed him for a day.
Teach him how to make his own living, and you will feed him for a lifetime. Teach him how to teach others, and you will feed his community for a lifetime.
To another query posed by the Diplomatic Star Journalist, Dr. Steffen said that being a German political foundation, HSF is directly mandated by the German federal parliament Bundestag to support democratic education worldwide.
Sharing details of the new scholarship program, he informed that it offers long-term educational support and intends to create young social multipliers who contribute positively to more regional stability.
Each year, Dr Steffen said that 30 highly talented and well-selected registered Afghan refugee students will be enabled:
- To finance their studies at Pakistani universities,
- Receive additional training in relevant disciplines parallel to their studies, such as democracy, academic work, tolerance, conflict resolution and social cohesion, HSSP Inauguration Dinner:
- Receive professional experience in on-the-job trainings,
- Applying their new knowledge regionally, By training and educating current and future social multipliers, the Scholarship Program ensures that: The refugee and host communities in Pakistan benefit directly from the program.
Afghanistan will receive well-educated and internationally connected university graduates from Pakistan.
Pakistan is internationally recognized in its role as a constructive regional contributor to peace, stability and connectivity in South Asia. · Pakistan’s universities benefit indirectly from the Afghan scholarship holders who study there.
The whole region of South Asia benefits from the further consolidation and development of Afghanistan.
And Germany and Europe benefit from democratic, civic and peace-promoting stabilizers, multipliers and mediators in South Asia and globally.
German Ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Schlagheck while addressing the participants said that educated, well-equipped and skilled youth is the future of Afghanistan.
The envoy said education is more significant tool of bringing positive change in the society and a way forward for socio-economic development.
Commenting on the current situation in Afghanistan, in an brief discussion with senior Journalist Shabbir Hussain Bernhard Schlagheck said that though it’s a difficult time but still there are high hopes from the Afghan youth to take their country out of crisis.
The Executive Director of NDF, Sheharyar Khan said that through the Hanns Seidel Scholarship Program, the National Dialogue Forum support the education and training of such agents of positive change in Pakistan.
He said that this generous scholarship is an opportunity for Afghan students to excel in their academic pursuits and play a much-needed leadership role in the rebuilding of their country.
He informed that HSSP includes around 30 full financial grants positions per year for all Afghan students with above-average academic record, volunteer experience and democratic and regional interest.
It covers the full duration of their undergraduate or graduate degrees at HEC recognized universities all over Pakistan.
The scholarships also include conceptual support on a range of relevant topics such as social cohesion, human rights, political systems, digital and soft skills and research knowledge
The event was joined by a prestigious set of people from politics, embassies, academia, think tanks and international and national NGOs.
The guests of honor included Bernhard Schlagheck, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Pakistan, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Afghanistan, Shandana Gulzar Khan, Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan and Member of Pakistan-Afghanistan Friendship Group of the National Assembly of Pakistan.
