Fatima Group to Fund 16 Undergraduate Students at LUMS

The conglomerate, Fatima Group has been a generous partner of LUMS since 2011 and has supported the cause of making higher education inclusive. At an MoU signing ceremony held at LUMS on November 8, Mr. Fawad Ahmed Mukhtar, CEO and Director, Fatima Group, reaffirmed his support to the University by sponsoring the undergraduate studies of 16 National Outreach Programme (NOP) students at LUMS.

The NOP is LUMS’ signature financial aid initiative and exemplifies the values of merit, diversity, inclusion, and equity. Applicants from across Pakistan are shortlisted and admitted to LUMS based on merit, and provided up to 140% scholarship, which covers tuition, books, living stipends, and lodging. The NOP is also an award-winning programme; in 2021, from among 300+ entries submitted from across the world, the programme won the global CASE Platinum 2021 Award for best practices in diversity, equity and inclusion.

Members of the senior leadership of LUMS were present at the MoU signing ceremony including Mr. Shahid Hussain, Rector; Mr. Osman Khalid Waheed, Member, Board of Trustees; Dr. Arshad Ahmad, Vice Chancellor; Dr. Tariq Jadoon, Interim Provost, and Ms. Nuzhat Kamran, Director, Office of Advancement. Representing Fatima Group were Directors, Mr. Ali Mukhtar, Ms. Sadia Irfan, Mr. Fazal Sheikh, Mr. Fahd Mukhtar, and Mr. Abbas Mukhtar, as well as Mr. Abad Khan, Advisor to the CEO.

Mr. Fawad Ahmed Mukhtar spoke about how such collaborations need to be followed through to create a larger impact. He was also apprised of the ‘Learning Without Borders: The Baltistan Experience’ project, in which 150 students from LUMS, and 150 students from University of Baltistan, Skardu came together for a month in Skardu, and participated in different experiential learning programmes.

Mr. Hussain commended Fatima Group for their consistent support through the years for the NOP which has allowed LUMS to reach talented students in over 145 cities across the country. “The outreach for the NOP is very rigorous. Our team goes to different cities, conducts open days, introductory sessions, and connects with different schools and students to spread awareness about LUMS and the scholarship programme.”

Dr. Ahmad appreciated Fatima Group’s support for the NOP which has had a multiplier effect and changed countless lives. Sharing the impact of the programme, he quoted an example. “In the CSS Exams 2021, LUMS alumnus, Hafiz Ali Naeem Sheikh, a graduate of BSc Management Science 2017 topped the Central Superior Services (CSS) and has been inducted into the Pakistan Administrative Services (PAS). He was an NOP scholar,” he shared.

Fatima Group was established in 1936 and is currently engaged in the trading of commodities, manufacturing of fertilisers, textiles, sugar, mining, and energy. Under its community-building initiative, the organisation runs sponsorship programmes through NGOs, charitable organisations, and welfare institutions. Fatima Group has previously funded 40 LUMS students and donated towards the Makers Lab at the National Incubation Centre Lahore (NICL).