By Office of Communications and Public Affairs
7 January 2026- The second cohort of female students awarded fully funded master’s scholarships under the gender component of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project (KPCIP), supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), have begun their studies at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).
With this new intake, the program now supports 55 students in total across two cohorts. Thirty students from the first cohort are expected to graduate in 2026, while 25 new students have joined the January intake. All students are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan.
The scholarship was initially established through a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed on 3 May 2024 (for the first batch of 30 scholars) between AIT and KPCIP, followed by another MoA signed on 29 April 2025 (for the second batch of 25 scholars) between AIT and KPCIP . The initiative aims to expand higher education and professional opportunities for women, while contributing to human resource development and improved urban infrastructure and service delivery in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Selected through a competitive process from applicants across the province, the students are enrolled in disciplines aligned with KPCIP’s Gender Action Plan. These include construction, engineering and infrastructure management; water engineering and management; data science and artificial intelligence; climate change and sustainable development; environmental engineering and management; development planning, management, and innovation; and urban innovation and sustainability.
AIT President Prof. Pai-Chi Li welcomed the continued partnership and highlighted the progress of the first cohort. “We are proud of the students dedication and strong progress across different development fields,” he said, noting that AIT’s recent intake includes a higher number of female students, an outcome strengthened by the support of KPCIP and ADB.
Mr. Arshad Khan Afridi, Special Secretary/Project Director, LGE&RDD, emphasized the strong partnership in building human capital for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, noting the broader shift over the past two to three decades in women’s participation in higher education and professional spaces. He added that more talented young women are now benefiting from the program’s opportunity to study at AIT and return to serve the province, and expressed confidence that these students will contribute meaningfully to development efforts upon returning home.
Mrs. Mahnaz Iftikhar, Director of Gender and Inclusion at PMU-KPCIP, described the program as a source of pride for the province and reaffirmed the students commitment to return and serve in Pakistan. She noted that, under the scholarship conditions, graduates are expected to work in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for two to five years, supporting institutions such as provincial water and urban service companies and related development sectors.
Dr. Sumana Shrestha, Director of Office of International Affairs, underscored the long-standing relationship between AIT and Pakistan and the value of the program. “We are very happy to see the performance of the first batch, and we look forward to long-term collaboration with KPCIP and the Government of KP,” she said, adding that the international learning environment helps students strengthen their capacity to address development challenges in their country and beyond.
The KPCIP delegation also included Mr. Sadam, IT Support Officer, and Ms. Neelum Mahal, Project Support Officer. The meeting at AIT was also attended by Prof. Manukid Parnichkun, Vice President for Academic and Research (VPAR), and Mr. Sanjeet Amatya, Director, Office of Communications and Public Affairs.
Apart from the meeting with the senior management on 7 January, the delegation also had an interaction session with both batches of KPCIP Scholars that afternoon. The delegation also met with Co-Directors and the team of AIT Global Water and Sanitation Centre (GWSC) and discussed the planned activities, followed by the visit to the solid waste management site in Bangkok. An LoI with GWSC was also signed on 9 January to conduct the planned activities in KP. The delegation also made a courtesy visit to H.E. Mrs. Rukhsana Afzaal, Ambassador of Pakistan to Thailand and discussed further opportunities to strengthen cooperation between AIT and Pakistan.
Beyond supporting academic advancement, the scholarship program is expected to help build a new generation of women professionals who can contribute to inclusive development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and serve as role models for other young women in the province.
