The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa launched the Chief Minister Foreign Scholarship Program in 2017 through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Foundation to help students, educators, and the general public learn Chinese language and culture, and to equip them to gain admission to various disciplines and study programs at selected universities in the People's Republic of China. Under the Higher Education China Pakistan Economic Cooperation (HE CPEC), 463 students were awarded foreign scholarships on merit cum in-affordability basis to study Language & Culture, BS, MS, and PhD Programs at Chinese universities.