‘Pak-French education collaboration must be expanded’

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Thursday organised an event to celebrate the efforts of Pakistan and French in promoting higher education.

The minister for federal education and professional training, Baligh-ur-Rehman, was chief guest of the event organised in collaboration with the French embassy at the commission secretariat,. The ceremony was attended by HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, Ambassador of France to Pakistan Martine Dorance, Director Campus France Noor-ud-Din Manamani, professors from French universities and HEC alumni who had graduated from France.

Rehman said the higher education and research work were of vital importance for socio-economic development of a country in this modern era. He further said Pakistan and France enjoyed cordial relations, and the celebration of French Day in Pakistan would strengthen the bilateral relations.

“French universities are among the world’s best higher learning institutions. I hope these collaborations will help Pakistani universities and scholars to learn from their French counterparts.”

Appreciating the HEC role, the federal minister expressed said the successes in tertiary education sector could be attributed to the HEC’s policies and strategies that have been augmented and supported by the current government in an unprecedented way. “We still have a long way to go for the development of this [education] sector.”

He asserted that the government had been striving for promotion of education, elimination of extremism, end to energy crisis, and economic growth. “The country has witnessed a significant progress in all these areas.”

Describing the background of the academic collaboration between the two countries, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said the HEC had so far sent over 700 students to France for studies.

He said about 450 were serving the country after returning from France. He welcomed 21 delegates from French educational institutions on their visit to Pakistani universities and hoped that the mutual collaboration will turn into a strategic partnership.

The HEC chairman said that work on the plan to set up a French university in Pakistan was underway. He added that it was high time to usher a new era of collaborative research and student exchange programmes.

He said Pakistan and France were planning to organise a conference on Archaeology in Lahore, and a similar exhibition would also be held in Paris next year.

Shedding light on the HEC initiatives for uplift of the higher education, he said the number of universities in Pakistan had reached 182 since the inception of the HEC.

Dr Ahmed expressed that the government was committed to pay due importance to the higher education sector. He said the quality of education, access rate, and solution-oriented research were the main concerns of the HEC.

“The HEC is taking vital steps to cater to the need of qualified faculty and measures for the capacity building of the HEC employees are also afoot.”

In her remarks, Martine Dorance said France and Pakistan had forged a strong and long-lasting agenda of cooperation in the academic and scientific fields. She said over the past years, hundreds of Pakistani students had obtained PhD degrees in prestigious French institutions.

She said students were offered free access by the French government, and Pakistani students were most welcome in the country.

Dorance said France reframed its partnership with Pakistan in the field of scientific cooperation in 2015 by launching the Pakistan-France Joint Research Programme. She noted that these synergies created a large community of interest that was also supported by the Pakistan-France Alumni Network, which is now connected to French Alumni.

“I have no doubt that this major event will strengthen the partnership between the two countries. It will also create a sustainable academic cooperation and bring more Pakistani students to my country.”

Noor-ud-Din Manamani said the Campus France was committed to promoting higher education in foreign countries by welcoming foreign students. He said the Campus France had 255 offices in over 124 countries of the world that are facilitating students aspiring to study in France.

“Pakistan and France need to expand joint collaboration to provide academic opportunities to youth.” 

The opening ceremony was followed by panel discussion on the French higher education system and the Pak-French collaboration in academics and research.