FCDO Team Visits LUMS
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A meeting took place between LUMS and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) this week at LUMS. Mr. Alex Ballinger, UK Representative to Punjab, and Ms. Amna Khan, Punjab Development Representative and LUMS alumnus, met with Dr. Arshad Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, Mr. Shahid Hussain, Rector, Mr. Osman Khalid Waheed, Member, Management Committee, Dr. Ali Cheema, Director, Mahbub Ul Haq Research Centre and Ms. Nuzhat Kamran, Director, Advancement.
The partnership between FCDO (formerly DFID) and LUMS started in 2013 with the ‘Empowerment through Education’ Initiative. It constituted a 5-year grant allocated towards providing scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds inducted in the LUMS degree programmes.
Ms. Kamran opened the discussion and gave guests an overview of LUMS – the new directions, achievements, and future plans. The National Outreach Programme (NOP) and other financial aid initiatives were also a part of the discussion during which Mr. Hussain told guests that almost 10 per cent of the students currently enrolled at LUMS have been inducted through the NOP stream and the University continues to work on capacity building and coaching of these students.
Dr. Ahmad spoke about the Schools, Centres and the various research projects being undertaken by faculty across the University that are geared towards addressing local and regional issues. He also emphasized the transformative experience of the National Outreach Programme for over 1,200 scholars who have availed this prestigious scholarship.
Mr. Ballinger commended the growth and impact of the National Outreach Programme. Both parties discussed avenues for stronger partnerships in the days to come.
