MULTAN: US Consul General in Lahore Catherine Rodriguez on Thursday congratulated 250 students on the successful completion of the State Department-funded English Access Microscholarship Programme (Access).
CG Catherine Rodriguez, in a virtual graduation ceremony, congratulated 250 students on successful completion of the #US government-funded #EnglishAccess Microscholarship Program in #Multan.#DYK, so far approx. 22,000 students have graduated from this program in #Pakistan? pic.twitter.com/hkNgjOudod
— U.S. Consulate General Lahore (@USCGLahore) March 18, 2021
She appreciated the hard work of the teachers, the dedication of the students, and the cooperation of their parents.
During the virtual graduation event, the students shared their success stories, recited their poetry, and sang a song.
In her address, Rodriguez said: “Congratulations, students, on reaching this milestone in your educational journey. We know that you worked many extra hours each week to attend classes, practice at home, and collaborate with your classmates. Thank you to your families for their support of your studies, too.”
Thanking the partners, she said: “I would like to give a special ‘bohat shukriya‘ to our implementing partner, the Education for Skill Development Association (ESDA), CEO Hammad Haseeb and to Fahad Khan, the English Access Manager, for your dedication to our shared goals of increase English-language education.”
She observed in Punjab, the US Mission to Pakistan has sponsored five English Access sites in Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Der Ghazi Khan, and Multan.
“In these programmes, our partners help young adults not only to learn English, but also to learn about the similarities and differences between Pakistani and American culture, society, art, music, and traditions.
The Access programme is a platform for engagement between students, women entrepreneurs, different US exchange programmes alumni, emerging leaders in Pakistan, and US diplomats, students, and experts.”
She added: “We know that English language proficiency can open doors to more opportunities for young adults. It’s a pathway to higher education, to studying science, and conducting business on a national, regional, and global market level. It is one way to help build a stronger rapport with other countries around the globe.”
She said that strong English skills are essential to take advantage of our many exchange programmes offered through the Consulate such as Fulbright scholarship and study of the US educational institutes.
We are eager to see more Pakistanis take part in our people-to-people exchanges, she added.
The programme benefits economically disadvantaged students between the ages of 13 to 20 years. So far, about 22,000 students in Pakistan have experienced this initiative.
