Balochistan student wins Rhodes Scholarship 2012

Islamabad, A student from Qilla Abdullah, a backward area of Balochistan, has been nominated for Rhodes scholarship 2012.

Only 80 students are selected for the scholarship from 23 countries every year. Former chairman senate Wasim Sajjad and former US president Bill Clinton were also winners of the scholarship.

Rafiullah Kaka said that there is only one middle school in his native district and those who wanted to study had to travel many miles every day.

He said that he had eight sisters and five brothers and he completed his studies up to intermediate from Balochistan and then came to Lahore for further studies. It was difficult for his family to afford his expenses because his father ran a shop of mobile phones, he added.

He further said that his intensions are todo MPhil in International Relations and will come back to serve the country.

Assistant secretary Rhodes Pakistan, Agha Afzal told that this year, 188 applications were received for the scholarship. Only Rafiullah from Pakistan could be selected, which is an honour for us, he said.

The Rhodes Scholarships are postgraduate awards supporting outstanding all-round students at the University of Oxford, and providing transformative opportunities for brilliant individuals. 

Established in 1903 under the will of Cecil Rhodes, the Rhodes is the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious international graduate scholarship program in the world. A class of 83 Scholars is selected each year from Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica and Commonwealth Caribbean, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, Southern Africa (including South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, and Swaziland), United States, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Rhodes's vision in founding the Scholarship was to develop outstanding leaders who would be motivated to fight 'the world's fight' and to 'esteem the performance of public duties as their highest aim', and to promote international understanding and peace.