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58 students selected for 'YES' Programme
Karachi, July 3(The News): Fifty-Eight High School students have been selected from all over Pakistan for
the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Programme 2007-2008, and will be spending an
academic year in US schools. This year students from private schools were
selected.
About 25 students have been selected from Sindh, which includes
Karachi, Hyderabad, Sanghar, and Khairpur. About 44 returning students for the
year 2006-2007, 19 boys and 25 girls, were given YES Completion Certificates by
the US Consul-General, Karachi, Ms Mary H Witt, at a simple but impressive
ceremony at a local hotel on Monday. She was accompanied by Karen Heimsoth,
Public Affairs Officer.
The certificates were given in recognition of
the successful completion of YES 2006-07. The YES Programme scholarships are
funded by the US Department of State, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs.
The programme gives secondary school students in many countries an
opportunity to study at American High Schools and live with American host
families for one academic year.
Speaking on the occasion, US
Consul-General, Ms Witt defined this programme as an exchange of students
studying various cultures and traditions, and to interact with each other
globally. In a lively mood, she asked students about the experience they gained
in their one-year programme. She asked many of them as to who played Cricket in
the US. Only one aspirant responded. She smilingly said, "This was the way that
we learn from you and you learn from us".
Both the successful returning
students and those visiting US this season were present. The returning students
also shared their experiences with the guests and most of them said that this
was the most memorable year for them, as they interacted with students belonging
to various cultures and speaking various languages.
Only one government
school student was in the batch of 2006-07. The EDO, Schools, Fakhr Karim, who
was the chief guest, was asked about the situation of government school
students. She said in the 2003-2004, the then city Nazim coordinated and with
his cooperation, government schools students were managed to study in US. She,
however, said that next year students from government schools would also be sent
to the US for study.
The International Education and Resources
Network-Pakistan has successfully implemented this programme in Pakistan for the
last four years, which is a project of the Society for International Education
(Regd) supporting a network of teachers and students working at the local,
country and international levels, said Farah Iqbal, Coordinator, EARN Pakistan.
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