The conference titled Pak-UK Education Gateway: Rethinking and reshaping a resilient higher education system, will discuss key issues facing the sector in the ‘new’ normal, the role of leadership in building resilient Higher Education systems, and lessons learnt from the pandemic. It will celebrate some of the concrete contributions that the Pak-UK Gateway programme has made so far.
The British Council in Pakistan and the Higher Education Commission launched a joint programme Pak-UK Education Gateway in 2018 with the goal to enhance partnership between the Higher Education sectors of Pakistan and the UK. The aim of the gateway is to create greater access to higher education opportunities for young people by bolstering university collaborations on research, offering grants and scholarships, promoting international mobility and cross-cultural exchanges among students of both countries, and capacity building of higher education leaders to respond to the rapidly changing needs of young people.
Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan, Asad Qaiser, at the inaugural session said: By investing in our youth’s development through the Knowledge Economy, the Government aims to generate an educated workforce, build empathy and tolerance and rapidly improve Pakistan’s positioning in the global market. Organisations like the British Council in Pakistan are playing an incredible role in helping us achieve that goal. In addition to research links, the launching or the transnational education framework, I’m also aware that the GREAT awards and British Council STEM schemes are being launched this year, adding to the number of awards for Pakistani students. The government of Pakistan values this support greatly, and I am sure the impact will be much far reaching.
Dr Christian Turner, British High Commissioner to Pakistan in his address said: Supporting education is at the heart of UK’s work with Pakistan. Young people are our greatest asset and ensuring they gain the knowledge and skills they need is key to a successful future. I’m delighted to see the work of the Gateway to the bring the Higher Education sector of our two countries of our two countries closer together.
In addition to bringing partners from the UK and Pakistan together to share best practices and lessons learnt eight new higher education research links between Pakistan and UK were also announced. This is in addition to the 65 research links already ongoing. Worth GBP 2 Million, these new projects will aim to facilitate work by researchers and scientists from both countries across themes like Artificial Intelligence, Archaeology, Climate Change, Medical and Allied Health Sciences over a period of three years to help us live in a better world.
The British Council has a new series of scholarship programmes, reaching out to around 250 students this year of whom majority are women. These scholarship awards will enable students to study in Pakistan and also universities across UK regions in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Environment for young women in Pakistan.
Nishat Riaz, Director Education, British Council shared her thoughts
Like all other forms of education, the higher education is part a wider ecosystem that it ever evolving. This journey of evolution is very much shaped by the understanding, experiences and sharing of ideas from everyone. This event is part of those crucial conversations that help rethink and reshape the sector for coming times.
The 200+ attendees at the virtual conference will include Ministers and decision makers from UK and Pakistan, Chairman and Executive Director of Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, Vice Chancellors, Professors, researchers, and students from both the UK and Pakistan, & UK Apex bodies such as Association of Commonwealth Universities and Universities UK International as well as the British High Commissioner, and Country Director Pakistan British Council.
