ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan have agreed to strengthen collaboration in higher education and consented to all possible support in the future.
In a recent visit of Higher Education Commission (HEC) officers, vice chancellors and Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, all rectors of Kyrgyz universities, academics and delegates agreed for having collaborations in future.
An HEC official told APP on Monday that the visit was arranged to explore avenues of collaboration, assess facilities and strength of Kyrgyz educational system, and see where Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan can cooperate for enhancing quality of education, research and technology transfer. During the visit, he said that HEC officials gave a detailed overview of higher education sector of Pakistan and initiatives which are being undertaken for promotion of higher education.
The official said that launching of University of Central Asia Pakistan (UCAP) in Islamabad also came under discussion with officials of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan and various higher education institutions. It was proposed that a focal person from the Kyrgyz Government may be appointed for dissemination of operation and execution of academic programmes of UCAP so that information about teaching and research can reach easily to Kyrgyz students and researchers, he added.
Possible areas of cooperation between both the countries include exchange of faculty and students, joint research programmes/activities, conferences/workshops, opening of institutes and universities, cooperation and collaboration especially regarding tourism, agriculture, dairy and food industry, medicine, water, energy, environment, climate change, sports and physical university establishment and collaboration for mountain area problems and improvement.
Documents of Understanding (DoU), to work together were signed with the Kyrgyzstan State University of Construction and Transportation by NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi and Islamia College University, Peshawar. The Islamia College Peshawar also signed a DoU with International University of Kyrgyzstan. HEC also singed a DoU with the IK Akhunbaev Kyrgyz State Medical Academy.
