The Government of Sindh has approved university scholarships for 2,662 students from across the province under the Sindh Education Endowment Fund (SEEF) for the academic year 2024-25. Additionally, the renewal of scholarships for 5,853 students already pursuing higher education at universities has also been approved. These decisions were made during a meeting of the Board of Trustees of SEEF, chaired by Sindh Minister for Education, Syed Sardar Ali Shah.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Colleges Nadeem-ur-Rehman Memon, Secretary Universities and Boards Abbas Baloch, Secretary School Education Zahid Hussain Abbasi, SEEF Secretary Iqbal Jamani, and other Board members. During the briefing, the Board was informed that SEEF is currently providing scholarships to students from Sindh enrolled in 92 public and private universities across Pakistan.
It was further shared that as of June 2026, the Fund’s total capital had reached Rs. 12.617 billion, with the Government of Sindh contributing an additional Rs. 2 billion annually to expand higher education opportunities for deserving students. The meeting was also informed that since its establishment in 2002, SEEF has supported 42,169 students in completing higher education at universities across the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah said that SEEF has become an effective instrument for transforming the aspirations of talented, hardworking, and underprivileged youth into reality. He emphasized that financial hardship should never become a barrier to education and reaffirmed the Sindh Government’s commitment to ensuring equal opportunities for every deserving student to progress according to their abilities.
The Minister noted that, in line with emerging global and national trends, scholarship opportunities should be expanded to include disciplines that are expected to be in greater demand in the future. Such an approach, he said, would not only help Sindh’s youth acquire quality education but also enhance their prospects for employment and professional growth.
Syed Sardar Ali Shah directed that the Fund’s investment framework be comprehensively reviewed and strengthened to increase returns, enabling a larger number of students to benefit from scholarships. He also instructed the authorities to modernize and fully digitize SEEF’s operations and to conduct a third-party audit to further enhance transparency, accountability, and governance.
The Board decided that the SEEF Executive Committee would prepare recommendations for increasing the number of scholarships available at universities. These recommendations will include the inclusion of additional universities, an assessment of the effective utilization of scholarships by institutions, proposals for covering new academic disciplines, and measures to further expand the scholarship programme.
Expressing concern over the absence of university vice chancellors, who serve as Board members, from the meeting, the Education Minister stressed the importance of their active participation in future Board sessions. He stated that their engagement is essential for addressing students’ concerns, educational needs, and institutional challenges, while also helping to make the scholarship system more responsive and effective.
