SWABI: The Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (GIKI) has finalised for the current year over Rs27 million financial package for the needy students, according to the officials involved in processing the assistance cases.

They said the students who got the financial help were enrolled in different disciplines of engineering at the undergraduate level. In addition, a number of scholarships and fellowships had also been awarded to postgraduate students, they added.

A committee headed by Jehangir Bashar, Rector of GIK Institute, is finalising such cases.

Engineer Shamsul Mulk, president of the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Sciences and Technology in Pakistan (SOPREST), a parent body of the GIK Institute, gives the hnal approval to the assistance package.

According to relevant officials, the committee members interviewed the students and considered all the factors related to the assistance to ensure that only deserving students got the financial help.

Jehangir Bashar said the financial assistance policy was devised by the Institute`s founding fathers to enable competent students belonging to poor families to have an opportunity of receiving higher education in the institute.

T O U R N A M E N T COMMENCES: The annual tournament featuring various games among public sector high and higher secondary schools would commence here on Wednesday, Mohammad Zubir, general secretary of the district sports committee, said on Sunday.

He said the district had been divided in eight zones with each tehsil comprising two zones. A tehsil sports secretary has also been nominated in each tehsil to supervise the games, he added.

Mr Zubir said in the first phase competitions would be held at the zone level, then at tehsil level and finally at district level. Those who won at the district level would compete at the divisional level.

The games including cricl(et, football, basketball, volleyball, hockey, badminton and table tennis would continue at tehsil level till November 1.