In the Budget 2025–2026, the Federal Government has set out Rs 39,488 million for the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) 12 new and 128 existing programs under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
The budget document released on Tuesday allocates approximately Rs 38,488 million. Under the Budget 2025–2026, the government has allocated Rs 1,000 million for new projects and Rs 216 million for ongoing programs.
As part of the current initiatives, the Prime Minister has directed the allocation of Rs 500 million for awarding 3,000 Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships to Afghan students.
The government has also allocated Rs 200 million (revised) for constructing an academic block at Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad.
Within the same category, the Budget 2025-26 has set aside Rs 500 million for the development of the National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi (Revised), and Rs 250 million for the development of Bacha Khan University’s Main Campus in Charsadda.
Additionally, the government has set aside Rs 558 million for the establishment of the University of Baltistan in Skardu (Revised) and Rs 611 million for the establishment of Kamyab Jawan Sports Academies (High Performance & Resource Centers) and Youth Olympics-HEC.
In the Budget 2025–26, the government has allocated Rs 100 million to the Fulbright Scholarship Support Program HEC-USAID (Phase III) as part of its international academic collaboration efforts.
Additionally, the government has earmarked Rs 3,670 million for Ph.D. scholarships and Rs 2,300 million for Overseas Scholarships for MS/M.Phil leading to Ph.D. in Selected Fields (Phase III) – HEC (Revised).
Under the Pak-US Knowledge Corridor Scholarship Program (Phase I – Revised), the government continues its investment in higher education.
To improve community and child nutrition, it has also allocated Rs 800 million for establishing the Pak-Korea Nutrition Centre (PKNC).
The government has set aside Rs 50 million for the Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships for Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, and Friendly Countries HEC, as well as Rs 100 million for the establishment of a new Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design campus in Karachi, as part of the new initiatives unveiled in the Budget 2025–2026.
