ISLAMABAD – Learning a language that has an impact is indeed a great investment in one’s academic life and English language definitely has an impact.

These remarks were expressed by Joelle Uzarski Director, Regional English Language Office, Public Affairs Section at US Embassy, Islamabad, while addressing the opening ceremony of the English Access Micrscholoarship Programme at the at National University of Modern Languages (NUML) here on Thursday.
The ceremony was attended by around a hundred students, their teachers and parents at the NUML.
She said that this programme would continue for the next two years and besides studies in schools, it would bring a lot of work, activities, projects and assignments for the students. It means a lot of extra work and exhaustion but at the end of these two years you will be ultimate beneficiaries.
Moreover, she said that there are a great number of students who wanted to be the part of this scholarship programme but only few of you managed to qualify this difficult selection criterion. Besides all this, the successful arrangement of this program at NUML shows the commitment and dedication of NUML’s administration towards better education and better nation, she added.
Earlier, while addressing to the opening ceremony Registrar Brig  (R) Saeed Akhtar Malik, also the administrative coordinator of the programme, informed that the programme has been started from December 31, 2012 and will last till December 2014 in collaboration with the US Department of State through US Embassy in Pakistan. The said programme is designed to provide a significant English language learning experience to the young students.
This two-year programme aims to improve students English language skills and intends to develop appreciation of US and Pakistani cultures and values, encouraging critical thinking, open-mindedness and improving performance in their regular school classes.
A greater sensibility to cultural differences coupled with the acquired English language skills will enable the students to take advantage of opportunities that had previously been unavailable to them.
He further said that around 900 students studying class VIII to X and of age group 14-17 from 14 different schools of Rawalpindi and Islamabad appeared in the test and 100 students were selected. The selection was based purely on merit and preference was given to the wards of under privileged class.
Moreover, the young female student Shummaima-ul-Amber entertained the audience with ‘Kalam-e-Iqbal’, a group performed “Mind your Language” while another group of students presented a national song to receive the applauses of their parents and teachers.