ISLAMABAD: In collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan, the British Council in Pakistan hosted an international partner’s seminar on Tuesday to celebrate and further develop collaborations on joint programmes for improving institutional capacity of the education sector in Pakistan. The seminar centred on opportunities to leverage international research and education programmes to help advance the quality of higher education. Furthermore, to develop strong partnerships of ‘policy learning’, in which both UK and Pakistan stakeholders co-develop solutions suited to Pakistan’s context. The conference brought together academia and decision makers from the UK and Pakistan including federal and provincial ministers, industry partners and employers, private, public and non-profit sectors to discuss the core education challenges of Pakistan, and possible collaborative solutions that can be developed, particularly by the growing information technology sector, to help address these challenges. At the event, Minister for Planning, Development and Reform, Ahsan Iqbal said: “Universities are an integral to research and are the key to innovations and advancements. The role of universities now goes beyond traditional education. They make it possible for countries to join the global knowledge society and compete in sophisticated knowledge economies.” “Universities cannot work in isolation and need to develop partnerships – both domestic and international – in order to produce research that is relevant, necessary and needed,” he added. HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed commended the efforts of HEC and the British Council in Pakistan. “HEC is committed to the promotion of socio-economic development of Pakistan through the capacity-building of higher education institutes in Pakistan. HEC is committed to utilising international expertise in facilitating educational programmes that meet the needs of the youth of Pakistan and by supporting linkages between institutions and industry for research and development.” British Council Pakistan Country Director Rosemary Hilhorst said: “We are glad that today we have partners at this event from both Pakistan and the UK. I hope that this event will provide us with the opportunity to strengthen existing ties, identify new collaborations and develop networks that will allow for future projects and promote international strategic transnational education partnerships between both countries.” The sessions over the two days brought together experts from a range of sectors highlighting the innovative work and achievements of British Council Pakistan and HEC joint programmes. In addition, this proved to be an effective platform for knowledge sharing and increased growth of international partnerships in research and faculty development. The focus areas at the second day were quality assurance in higher education, development of institutional strategies and parallel sessions on impact of higher education on economies and bridging the skills gap through higher education were also held. At the seminar, participants shared their experiences and resources. They also acknowledged the need to establish a strong link with the UK expertise and develop a strong foundation of sustainable development. In the closing remarks, Education Minister Balighur Rehman said: “Higher education institutions have major impact nationally. They create talent, build capacity and drive economic growth. They generate not only individual success but also broader economic growth.” On the third day, the international delegation will visit three three universities of Islamabad/Rawalpindi: Fatimah Jinnah Women University, Comsats University of Information Technology and National University of Science and Technology (NUST). They will meet with university students and representatives and agree on exploring opportunities for future collaborations that can contribute to economic development and youth empowerment. Furthermore, formulate a sustainable and effective strategy on education programmes. The British Council in Pakistan, in collaboration with the HEC, has been supporting the achievement of higher education road map for over a decade. Enhancing the access, improving quality and institutional capacity of the sector have been the primary objectives of joint programmes. Over these years, 150 British and Pakistani university links have been jointly funded and implemented resulting in increased growth of international partnerships in research, faculty development and institutional partnerships.