HEC kicks off series of workshops on Erasmus+Programme

Islamabad: Dr. Tariq Banuri, chairman, Higher Education Commission (HEC) urges higher education institutions, faculty and students to avail themselves of the opportunities offered under Erasmus+Programme.

He said this while addressing a workshop on Erasmus+ Programme, as HEC has launched a series of workshops to create awareness about the opportunities offered under the European Union’s Erasmus+Programme for higher education institutions, students and staff from the partner countries outside the European Union.

Erasmus+ is an education programme aimed at promoting academic and cultural understanding between the European Countries and Partner Countries. It contributes to the development of human resources, international cooperation, and capacity of higher education institutions across the world by increasing mobility between the EU and other countries.

Under the programme, the EU extends opportunities to the students and teaching staff worldwide to go to European institutions to acquire higher education or teach under Erasmus+ Programme. The programme supports projects, partnerships, events and credit mobility in the areas of education, training, youth and sports. It is characterised by four major components including International Credit Mobility, capacity building projects in the field of higher education based on multiple partnerships, Jean Monnet, and Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degrees. It also provides funding opportunities for capacity building and cooperation in all the defined areas. The study scholarships cover an entire Masters degree course, while grants can fund shorter study periods in Europe that can count towards a degree back home.

As the structure of Erasmus+ is based on two categories including Programme Countries and Partner Countries, Pakistan being located in Asia region falls under the category of Partner Countries. The budget allocated for the programme funds Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees, scholarships for Master Degree students and staff, scholarships for individuals, capacity-building projects for higher education, and Jean Monnet projects.

A higher education institution can send its students, doctoral candidates and staff to a partner higher education institution in a Programme Country. Similarly, individual students and doctoral candidates will also receive funds under a set criteria.

Dr. Tariq Banuri said the Erasmus+ Programme is a great opportunity that is under-utilised in Pakistan. “We need to realise the significance of this opportunity and avail ourselves of it in a real sense,” he emphasised. He stressed the need for submission of an increased number of research proposals to avail the opportunities under the programme. He observed that the number of research proposals submitted under the programme has marked an increase in the last few years. He stated that HEC wants to have a boost in student and faculty exchange initiatives, as engagement with the world is very fruitful practice to have quality higher education and research. “The more people apply under the programme, the better it is for the country’s academic as well as socio-economic prosperity,” he underlined.

In his remarks, Executive Director, HEC Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Muhammad Asghar, said the Erasmus+Programme offers tremendous opportunities to Pakistani students, researchers, and faculty members. He emphasised on creating awareness among the academic community and students about the opportunities offered under the programme.

Earlier, Consultant, HEC Dr. Mehmood-ul-Hassan Butt briefed the participants about the background and objectives of Erasmus+ Programme. He urged the universities and faculty members to promote the programme so that maximum people could benefit from it. He said the programme was launched in Pakistan in 2016 and only 35 scholars received scholarships. He maintained that the number of scholarships awardees reached 60 in the following year, adding that 97 scholars have received the scholarships in the current year. He informed the participants that the target for 2019 is to avail 250 scholarships for Masters degree and at least four capacity building institutional grants.

The workshop was attended by Adviser, Human Resource Development, HEC Waseem S. Hashmi, Member, Science and Technology, Planning Commission of Pakistan Syed, Athar Osama and a large number of faculty members and researchers.