Scholarships granted to female students
Karachi: Members from Soroptomist's International Professional Women's Club (Karachi Central) gathered Friday at the Chanesar Goth Government School near Mahmoodabad to give scholarships to female students studying in first year and inter. Thirty-eight students, 10 from Chanesar's Sindhi-Medium School, and 28 from the Urdu-Medium School were granted scholarships.
The club had first visited the Chanesar School in March to grant merit scholarships to the seven most outstanding students, but after viewing the conditions of the school, which does not even have a proper water supply, and the dire financial problems faced by students, members had reconsidered their decision and advised students who were facing these difficulties to apply for scholarships. Thirty-eight students submitted requests for scholarships and all of them were accepted in the small event held Friday at the School.
Students and teachers cheered as one girl after another was called up, awarded the scholarship and given a new uniform. Mrs Shenaz Zafar, who teaches Urdu and History at the school, spoke of her attachment to the students, and highlighted the issues they have to face on a daily basis. "Most of the girls who come to this school live nearby.
They walk to School everyday and many of them tutor other children or work in tailoring in order to pay their School fee. The surrounding area is crime-ridden, and the girls are not encouraged by their families to educate themselves. If it wasn't for their self interest and dedication, many of them would have left school a lot earlier," she said.
The scholarships awarded Friday were intended to encourage female students to not cut short their education, and to continue their academic journey in the hopes of obtaining a career in the future and becoming financially independent.
'Soroptomist' which means sisterhood or best sister, is an international non-governmental organisation for professional women. It is run privately on the donations of its members. The News
