Tag: Commonwealth

  • How to apply for the UK Commonwealth Scholarship

    How to apply for the UK Commonwealth Scholarship

    Commonwealth Scholarships are given to talented individuals with the potential to make a positive impact on the global stage.

    As part of the UK’s ongoing commitment to the Commonwealth, each year around 800 students are given the chance to undertake postgraduate degrees at UK universities.

    Eligibility criteria for Pakistani Students:
    • Be a Pakistani/AJ&K national and permanent resident of Pakistan/AJ&K. Dual nationals are not eligible.
    • For Master’s scholarship, an applicant must hold a first-class degree in a relevant postgraduate qualification (16 years Bachelors/master’s degree) in the relevant field of study by closing date of HEC application portal.
    • For a PhD scholarship, an applicant must hold a first-class degree in relevant postgraduate qualification (17/18 years Masters/MS/MPhil degree) in the relevant field of study by closing date of HEC application portal.
    • Candidate must not have Second/Third division in the terminal/last degree. Result awaiting candidates are also not eligible to apply.
    • All applicants are required to provide HAT test scores. Applicant must have obtained a minimum score of 60 out of 100 on the HAT test. Those applicants who have taken HAT test on or after January 01, 2022, may upload the test result on the HEC portal for consideration.​
    • ​Without providing minimum HAT test score (60 out of 100), applications will not be considered for further process. Interested applicants who are yet to take HAT test, may register for the same by visiting https://etc.hec.gov.pk/. ETC is accepting applications for HAT test till October 11, 2022​.

    CSC Eligibility Criteria in addition to HEC criteria:

    To apply for these scholarships, you must:

    • Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country
    • Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September 2023
    • The CSC would not normally fund a second UK Master’s degree. If you are applying for a second UK Master’s degree, you will need to provide justification as to why you wish to undertake this study
    • Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship
    • Provide full transcripts detailing all your higher education qualifications including to-date transcripts for any qualifications you are currently studying (with certified translations if not in English) – uploaded to the online application system
    • Provide references from at least two individuals.

    For PhD candidates only:

    • NOT be registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university or in your home country before September/October 2023
    • Provide a supporting statement from a proposed supervisor in the UK from at least one of the institutions named on your application form.

    Kindly visit below mentioned links for further details on eligibility criteria & terms of award:

  • Bismah Maroof to take her 10-month-old daughter to the Commonwealth Games

    Pakistan Women’s cricket team captain Bismah Maroof has been allowed by the Commonwealth Games (CWG) to take her daughter with her to the tournament.

    Earlier, the Commonwealth Games village said they will not accommodate Bismah’s infant daughter. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had asked the CWG Federation for two extra accreditations to accommodate Maroof’s mother and daughter in the village.

    “I want to thank the Commonwealth Games for accepting our request to accommodate our captain Bismah Maroof’s family at the Games village, which will allow her to focus on the task at hand without any worries about her young infant daughter,” PCB’s head of women’s cricket Tania Mallick said in a statement.

    Read more- ‘Where is the hate?’ Twitter reacts to Indian cricket team playing with Pakistan cricket captain’s baby

    Pakistan squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza (wk), Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wk), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal and Tuba Hassan.

    The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to be held in Birmingham, England, from July 28 to August 8, 2022.

    Pakistan’s Schedule for Commonwealth Games:

    July 29 – v Barbados

    July 31 – v India

    August 03 – v Australia 

  • Harry, Meghan urge Commonwealth to ‘acknowledge’ uncomfortable colonial past

    Harry, Meghan urge Commonwealth to ‘acknowledge’ uncomfortable colonial past

    Prince Harry has urged the Commonwealth, which his grandmother heads, to acknowledge its uncomfortable colonial past, in video extracts published on Monday.

    The 35-year-old royal and his wife, Meghan, joined a video conference call with leaders organised by the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT) from their base in the United States.

    The sessions were set up in response to the growing Black Lives Matter movement, sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, during a US police arrest.

    Harry last week outlined his personal commitment to tackling institutional racism, saying it had “no place” in society but was still too widespread.

    On the July 1 call, posted on the QCT website, he said: “When you look across the Commonwealth, there is no way that we can move forward unless we acknowledge the past. So many people have done such an incredible job of acknowledging the past and trying to right those wrongs but I think we all acknowledge there is so much more still to do.”

    “It’s not going to be easy and in some cases it’s not going to be comfortable, but it needs to be done, because, guess what, everybody benefits.”

    Meanwhile, Markle said: “We’re going to have to be a little uncomfortable right now because it’s only in pushing through that discomfort that we get to the other side of this and find the place where a high tide raises all ships.

    “Equality does not put anyone on the back foot, it puts us all on the same footing, which is a fundamental human right,” she added.

    Read more – PM Imran shares his thoughts on Megxit

    Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the Commonwealth, a non-political organisation of 54 countries, most of which have links to the British Empire. Pakistan is also part of the Commonwealth. It comprises of 2.4 billion people — a quarter of the world’s population — of which 60 percent are aged under 30.

    The QCT was set up to give younger people from member nations a platform to share ideas and insights. The couple is president and vice-president respectively of the QCT.

    The chief executive of the QCT, Nicola Brentnall, has said the body is studying how the Commonwealth’s colonial past and its legacy should shape its future.

    Harry and Meghan stepped down from frontline royal duties this year and have set up a non-profit organisation focusing on the promoting of mental health, education and well-being.