IIU, Maldives varsities agree to collaborate

Islamabad: The International Islamic University (IIU) and several universities of Maldives agreed to cooperate with each other for academic excellence.

The agreement came during a visit of an educational delegation comprising VCs and senior academicians of Maldives led by Dr Amal Ali, rector of the MIANZ International College, to the IIU main campus here on Tuesday.

IIU rector Prof. Masoom Yasinzai welcomed the delegation and briefed them about the salient features of the university. He said the establishment of the Higher Education Commission in the country had changed the landscape of the universities in the country and presently there were 184 universities in public and private sectors and the number was growing with the passage of time.

"Our university is the only international university in Pakistan with an Islamic character, which began operation with three faculties but took the number to nine including Usuluddin, Arabic, Shariah and Law, Faculty of Engineering, Management Sciences, Economics, Social sciences, Basic and Applied Sciences," he said.

The rector said the IIU was not only for Pakistani students but it was for the entire Ummah under the charter of the OIC. "Students from across the World are studying here, whereas the students from the Maldives will also be supported in all of our educational programmes taught here," he said.

Dr Amal Ali said many features of Maldives regarding education were quite parallel to Pakistan. She briefed the IIU rector about her country and said the country 's all educational programmes were being taught in English, Arabic and local languages.

She said Maldives was in dire need of cooperation from the IIU for the development of higher education. Dr. Amal appreciated female enrolment in engineering faculty while visiting Faculty of Engineering and Technology Female Campus.

Also in the day, Prof Ahmed Yousef Al Driaiweesh welcomed the delegation at the IIU Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue and said bilateral relations would grow if students from the IIU and students from the Maldives were exchanged in flagship programmes.

He informed the delegation about the recent scholarships awarded to the Maldives students. "We will award 20 more scholarships to the students of Maldives," he said offering students from the Maldives to join Engineering Faculty of the IIU. At the end of the visit, the university's crest was presented to the head of the delegation, while gifts from both sides were also exchanged.