ISLAMABAD: The British Council Pakistan, Higher Education Commission (HEC) and key stakeholders Tuesday came together for a consultative workshop at a local hotel to leverage international research and education programmes to help advance the quality of higher education in the country. The increasing prevalence of quality research and partnerships has led national and international education providers to consolidate their efforts to develop strong partnerships of policy learning in which both UK and Pakistan stakeholders co-develop solutions. Under the auspices of HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed and the British Council Pakistan Deputy Director James Hampson, the workshop brought together an array of stakeholders and decision makers, including industry partners, employers, private, public and non-profit sectors, to discuss core education challenges in Pakistan, and possible collaborative solutions by developing a ‘Pakistan-UK Education Gateway’ to help address these challenges. Also, in attendance were several representatives from the UK, British Council Pakistan and the HEC. The gateway aims at facilitating intensive programmes to help build the capacity of working professionals. Key elements include innovative and collaborative research in emerging disciplines including climate change and water management, leadership courses, mentoring schemes and formal trainings, distance learning and scholarships and split PhD programmes. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed commended the efforts of the HEC and the the British Council in Pakistan and said that HEC was committed to the promotion of socio-economic development of Pakistan through the capacity building of higher education institutes in Pakistan. “I sincerely hope that the workshop would open up meaningful dialogue on the way forward for the Pak-UK Education Gateway and lead the way in developing this initiative in next few months,” he added. James Hampson said, “We are proud of our partnership with the Higher Education Commission. I am excited about what the future holds for co-operation between both countries as Pakistan seeks to transform higher education. We know how to support our partners. Today’s event is the next step in helping us realise the ambitions we all have for the gateway.” 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. Published in Daily Times, December 13th 2017.