High Commissioner Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri acknowledges immense talent in Pakistan

Celina Ali

Canberra: Pakistani High Commissioner to Australia Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri this week acknowledged the immense talent in Pakistan.

“The youth of Pakistan are brimming with talent and potential — a true asset for our future,” he posted on X.

The envoy said Pakistan had once again topped the world in securing the most Erasmus Mundus scholarships—and this year, it’s done so with a historic milestone.

For 2025, a total of 114 Pakistani students have been awarded the prestigious Erasmus+ Joint Masters scholarships, funded by the European Union. Among them are 66 women, who now represent nearly 58% of the country’s selected candidates—marking a significant step toward gender equity in higher education.

The programme, known for its competitiveness, selected 2,176 students from 137 countries. Pakistan led the list, followed by India (96), Bangladesh (95), Mexico (93), Nigeria (75), and Brazil (73), showing strong representation from the Global South.

In 2024, Pakistan had 189 awardees, including 100 men, 88 women, and one non-binary recipient.

The Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters scholarships offer students the chance to pursue degrees at multiple European universities, covering tuition, travel, visas, and living expenses. The experience typically includes international coursework, research, internships, and a jointly supervised thesis across at least three countries.

The EU Delegation in Islamabad praised the achievement as a “proud moment” and a reflection of Pakistan’s growing academic reputation on the world stage.

This ongoing success highlights both academic excellence and advancing gender inclusion among Pakistan’s youth.