Tazeen Akhtar
Five Pakistani medical students in Cuba have been left in the lurch by none other than their own country’s Higher Education Commission. The students received letters from HEC that they will be paid 50 Euros per month by HEC as a stipend of scholarship but the students have not been paid that for long.
This scribe has been privy to Cuba medical scholarship students’ issues at HEC and the then Pakistan Medical & Dental Council in 2008 when the first batch of 1000 Pakistani students was to travel to Havana for medical education on scholarships given by the Cuban Government after the Earthquake of 8th October. Cuba opened a full-fledged embassy in Islamabad and sent the first medical team for relief and rescue operations in earthquake-affected regions of Pakistan.
The students faced hurdles at that time as well when they were made football between HEC and PMDC. More than 400 students were stuck in Pakistan only because neither HEC nor PMDC could decide whose domain is what.
Now after the passage of more than 13 years, Pakistani students are still facing problems. The alien country is facilitating them with scholarships covering fees, books, uniforms, and residence but the authorities of their own country are not ready to issue only 50 Euros per month to only 5 students. Officials at HEC respond to the student’s appeals that ” HEC is short of funds.”
The students have sought the attention of the Chairman of HEC, and Federal Ministers of Planning and Education to look into the matter and solve their problem.
