ISLAMABAD, Dec 12 (APP):The British Council Pakistan, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan and key stakeholders came together for a consultative workshop here to leverage international research and education programmes to help advance the quality of higher education.
According to British High Commission, the increasing prevalence of quality research and partnerships has led national and international education providers to consolidate their efforts to develop strong partnerships of “policy learning”, in which both UK and Pakistan stakeholders co-develop solutions.
Under the auspice of HEC Chairman, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed and the British Council Pakistan Deputy Director, James Hampson, the workshop brought together an array of stakeholders and decision makers including industry partners and employers, private, public and non-profit sectors to discuss the core education challenges of Pakistan, and possible collaborative solutions by developing a “Pakistan-UK Education Gateway”, to help address these challenges. Also, in attendance were several representatives from the UK, British Council Pakistan and the HEC.
The gateway aims to facilitate intensive programmes to help build the capacity of working professionals. Key elements include innovative and collaborative research in emerging disciplines including climate change and water management, leadership courses, mentoring schemes and formal trainings, distance learning and scholarships and split PhD programmes.
Chairman of Higher Education Commission, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed commended the efforts of HEC and the British Council in Pakistan and said that HEC is committed to the promotion of socio-economic development of Pakistan through the capacity building of Higher Education institutes in Pakistan. He added, “I sincerely hope that today’s workshop would open up meaningful dialogue on the “way-forward” for the Pak-UK Education Gateway and lead the way in developing this initiative in next few months.”
James Hampson stated: We are proud of our partnership with the Higher Education Commission. I am excited about what the future holds for co-operation between both countries as Pakistan seeks to transform higher education here. We will to continue to bring the UK’s knowledge and know how to support our partners at the HEC. Today’s event is the next step in helping us realise the ambitions we all have for the Gateway.’
The British Council in Pakistan in collaboration with the HEC has been supporting the achievement of higher education road map for over a decade. Enhancing the access, improving quality and institutional capacity of the sector have been the primary objectives of joint programmes. Over these years, 150 British and Pakistani university links have been jointly funded and implemented resulting in increased growth of international partnerships in research, faculty development and institutional partnerships.
