August 2024 Blog
It was the dream and vision of our founder, the inestimable Lady ‘Vicky’ Noon, to enable and support the brightest from Pakistan to study at the best universities in the UK – thus building what I envisage as a continuing ‘living bridge’ between two countries she knew well and loved.
All the more remarkable as she was of course born and brought up in Austria originally. She moved to London, joined the team at the Pakistan High Commission in the capital, and then met and married Feroze Khan Noon when he was posted there.
She went to live with him in Pakistan – where he became PM - and became a significant figure, even a Minister for Tourism. She developed a deep love for both for her new homes.
But she could not have anticipated quite how successful her generous legacy would turn out. And we, as Trustees, feel honoured to be working on her project and duty bound to deliver on it.
But the future is cloudy. UK tuition fees for overseas students have doubled and redoubled in the past 20 years.
I challenged the Oxford Vice-Chancellor on this rise – now £40,000 + for each year for each course. In short, this is now the key route for UK universities to try to bridge their funding gap as fees for home students are fixed on just £9.250 – delivering a loss on each student.
But it means the Foundation is under pressure. Once. when I started as chair in 2000, we could consider 8 or 9 awards a year, Now, it has to be 3 or four. Our funds are carefully managed. We earn as much as we can.
But we will need new donors and new support if we are to keep up the range of awards – as fees continue to rise. We will be looking at our past scholars to step up and support us in these efforts.
So, please stay in touch – and come forward when we launch a new appeal next year. Let us keep Lady Vicky’s dream alive, let us keep that living bridge between Pakistan and the UK very much ‘alive’ PCRF / Chair VNEF
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