SDPI and IDRC Canada award scholarships to South Asian students for higher studies in social sciences

SDPI and IDRC Canada award scholarships to South Asian students for higher studies in social sciences

ISLAMABAD: (01 August 2012) Eight young and aspiring students from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have been awarded scholarship grants by Sustainable Development Policy Institute and International
Development Research Centre Canada to pursue Masters, MPhil and PhD degrees in social sciences, here on Wednesday.

The fellowships were awarded by a screening committee headed by Dr. Iqrar Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, Agriculture University Faisalabad and comprised of Dr. Navsharan Singh, Senior Programme Specialist, IDRC Canada, Dr. Abid Qaiyum
Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI, Dr. Muhammad Islam, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, Iqra University Islamabad, Dr. Zafar Mehmood, Foreign Professor, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Syed Asad Hussain, Director SZABIST, Islamabad, Dr.
Vaqar Ahmed, Head Economic Growth Unit, SDPI and Syed Qasim Ali Shah, Director Programme Development , SDPI.

The scholarships were awarded in the field of Governance, Security and Justice in various universities across South Asia. The fellowships managed by SDPI and supported by IDRC Canada intend to produce highly skilled professionals,
policy-makers, scholars and researchers in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.  The committee selected three fellows from India while one fellow was selected from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan
each. The second round of fellowships would be awarded in December this year.

“We are excited and hopeful of building a robust program of supporting young graduate scholars over the next four years. I would also like to congratulate SDPI for taking this extremely challenging task forward” said Dr. Navsharan
Singh.

Dr. Suleri said, there is dearth of quality research in social sciences in South Asia and SDPI is glad to host this initiative which would help promote research on under-researched social issues and particularly the non-traditional
security issues in South Asia. The fellowship program, he said, has multifaceted broader objectives such as the promotion of intra region peace and harmony, and these scholars would serve as ambassadors of peace in their respected countries.

Dr. Vaqar said, the selected student’s under the program would be provided short term intensive training courses in research design, academic writing, field research, dissemination through advocacy and outreach. They will also
be provided with opportunity to share their research findings during a multidisciplinary discourse, he added.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=30161

Posted by Ammar Ahmad on Aug 1 2012. Filed under Education, South Asia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry