£10m phase II of Pak-UK Education Gateway launched

ISLAMABAD:

The British Council in Pakistan and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) have launched the £10 million second phase of the Pak-UK Education Gateway partnership, which aims to enhance partnership between the higher education sectors of Pakistan and the UK.

Key areas of collaboration under this umbrella framework are: innovative and collaborative research, higher education leadership, quality assurance and standard setting, distance learning, international mobility and transnational education.

The launching ceremony was organised at the HEC secretariat, which also celebrated the achievements of Phase-I of the Pak-UK Education Gateway partnership.

Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui graced the occasion.

British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said, "Education is the building block of growth and prosperity. Our work on education in Pakistan supports people throughout their lives: from helping reform education policy at the school level, to our strong partnership in higher education. This next phase builds on our already strong relationship, and will unlock opportunities to help both our higher education sectors thrive".

According to HEC, Phase-II will open up numerous opportunities, and further strengthen the bilateral collaborative relationship. It will result in increased funding for scholarships, research grants and exchange between universities in both countries to work on shared challenges like climate change. A Start Up Challenge Fund will be set up to support Pakistan-UK collaborations in pursuing opportunities for growth, finding new markets and commercial success.

The partnership will also lead to development of high performing leadership in Pakistan's education system with the governance to support it. This means a strong emphasis on inclusion, including access on campuses for people with disabilities, the role of women in senior leadership positions, quality assurance and standards setting, ensuring that more young people enjoy access to higher education. The collaborative programme is also aimed at paving the way for the growth of Transnational Education and a commitment to Mutual Recognition of Qualifications, it said.

"Funded 50:50 by the HEC and British Council – the programme will develop closer, and more mutually beneficial ties between universities and institutions in the UK and Pakistan," it noted.

Pak-UK Education Gateway builds on existing collaborations between the UK and Pakistan that the British Council and Higher Education Commission has facilitated over last fifteen years: from knowledge exchange and leadership development programmes, to student and teacher training, scholarships and research collaborations.