I thought some newspaper would publish this, but I was wrong, so here my dear blog, this is what I've to say about Fulbright Program and to Government of Pakistan:
The Fulbright Program is a merit-based, competitive program
of educational grants for students, teachers, and other professionals. Founded
by US Senator, J. William Fulbright in 1946, the Fulbright program is one of
the most prestigious awards program worldwide, operating in over 155 countries,
having produced forty-three Nobel Prizes and seventy-eight Pulitzer Prizes.
More Nobel laureates are former Fulbright recipients than any other award
program. (Facts copied from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulbright_Program)
No wonder then that such a competitive program entails from
applicants an equally impressive educational background. Moreover, to measure them
on a standard scale, applicants from all across the world are asked to appear
in internationally recognized tests. Students, after “clearing” tests, then
file the applications to Fulbright’s office in their country.
Applications are carefully vetted and applicants are
shortlisted for the interview stage. A panel, usually consisting of four to
five ex-Fulbright alumni’s, interviews the shortlisted candidates and send the
recommendations, on the basis of which final offers are made to the candidates.
In addition to a stellar academic background, candidates
must consider following aspects:
Candidates must spend ample time preparing for the tests. Complexity
of the tests, when compared with our government educational system, where
80-90% of our students study, is such that an average candidate aspiring to
apply for Fulbright Program has to spend another year to year-and-a-half in
addition to candidates’ previous qualification, and still she might not reach
her target scores and has to re-appear for a second time, hence wasting a year.
Another important aspect that needs consideration is money. These
tests are extremely expensive and for an average family in Pakistan, bearing
these costs, especially in current circumstances, become a significant
burden.
Despite this grueling process, this year ‘1100’ candidates
from all over Pakistan (it’s hard to imagine anybody applying from rural areas
of Pakistan) filed applications. ‘400’ from those ‘1100’ applicants were
short-listed for the interview (which usually lasts about 15-minutes) and
approximately ‘170’ were awarded the scholarship. ‘230’ short-listed candidates
will either have to apply again or seek other opportunities.
The scholarship may very well change the lives of these
‘170’ students, who’ll come back and serve Pakistan after their graduation.
But, the remaining candidates, who spent last pennies of their parents’ money
to appear for the tests and who gave the most precious years of their lives on
preparing applications, so they could have a better future, are left on their own.
According to an applicant, who said that he had spent three
years preparing for the tests and applied twice for Fulbright Program with 90th
percentile scores, the scholarship is so competitive that he couldn’t make it
to the next stage after the interview. Another female applicant, in tears,
could just say, “I couldn’t get the scholarship, I was at it for the past two
years.” She travelled from Karachi to all the way Islamabad for the interview.
‘230’ students who were short-listed for the interview but
couldn’t land the big prize had impeccable credentials. They were close to, if
not exactly, as competitive as the one’s offered the scholarship. Some were
rejected because of the fields they chosen. Others were rejected because just
the scholarships were limited. These were just ‘230’ brilliant individuals, who
were so close to achieving their dream and yet their destiny eluded them –
perhaps for the second time or even third time.
Majority of these students came from families where there
wasn’t even a single graduate to consul them, and yet they distinguished
themselves. In a country, where one can expect minimum six to eight hours of
load-shedding, where law-and-order situation can push any sane human being to
concentration disorder, where taking care of the family as soon as you finish
your undergraduate, I say they have done a marvelous job.
Nobody can deny this fact that every country’s
competitiveness is firmly tied with education. Pakistan is no exception. Fulbright
Program is a gift from the people of United States, but Pakistan government
should pay close attention to the candidates who couldn’t get the funding. When
most of the hard work has already been done from both sides – students prepared
themselves for the further studies and their applications were thoroughly
examined by the Fulbright office – I see no reason why Pakistan government
cannot help the students who were short-listed but couldn’t make the cut. There
can be many modes of help. One of them could be ‘50’% interest-free loan and ‘50’%
funding. Students can obtain admissions in their preferred universities on
their own. I’m sure financing ‘230’ to ‘250’ quality graduates every year, in
addition to everything Higher Education Commission does, shouldn’t constitute a
burden on the department of education.
--
Ahsan
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