Daily Times

A delegation of educational professionals from across the United Kingdom (UK) visited the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) on Tuesday.

The delegation included the leadership and other educational professionals from the University of Surrey, Oxford Brookes University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Open University, Royal Holloway, University of Reading, Cranfield University, University of Portsmouth, University of London, the Association of Commonwealth Universities and University of Central Lancashire along with directors and heads from the British Council.

LUMS Vice Chancellor Dr Arshad Ahmad, welcomed the delegation and hoped that this was the first of many more chapters ahead which will lead to many opportunities to work together.

The delegation visited with the aim to make international linkages stronger and better in all respects, especially in the field of education, research and exchange programmes. Strengthening mutual collaborations and increasing international, multidisciplinary and cross-cultural initiatives for students in both countries was also an important aim of the visit. The initiative will enhance cultural ties, build relationships and promote educational collaboration, training and research with strategic partners.

The delegation visited different schools of LUMS including Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Syed Ahsan Ali & Syed Maratab Ali School of Education, Suleman Dawood School of Business, Syed Babar Ali School of Science & Engineering and National Incubation Centre.

Cranfield University Pro Vice Chancellor Simon Pollard appreciated the faculty and their energy and passion. He also shared that the stories about Pakistan on international media are misleading and expressed the desire to work on future collaborations.

Liz Dempsey of British Council, Manchester appreciated the schools and said that the enthusiasm and the academic confidence is a manifest. She expressed the hope to work on student exchange programmes.

Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Secretary General Joanna Newman thanked the hosts for the “outstanding hospitality” and said, “It was wonderful to have such in depth introductions of all the faculty. We appreciate your energy, vision, excellence and internationalisation goals. We hope this relationship lasts and strengthens.”

ACU Membership Head Consola Evans expressed the hope to visit LUMS again.

“Everyone is welcoming, inspiring and friendly and the campus is amazing. Regretfully, the wrong perceptions about Pakistan have portrayed a very wrong picture of the country. All I see and feel is optimism and enthusiasm. I look forward to future collaborations,” she shared.

British Council Pakistan Director Rosemary Hilhorst shared that LUMS students were very impressive and it was great to meet the faculty and the deans of the schools.

“It’s a very impressive institution. I am delighted to meet the faculty who has done their Masters or PhDs from some of the best universities in the UK and we hope we can increase this number. I also hope we can initiate some student- faculty exchange programmes.”

LUMS Pro Chancellor Syed Babar Ali expressed his pleasure and shared his desire for future collaborations, saying, “I hope this visit will lead to various running collaborations with the UK, from various perspectives; from faculty to research to ideas that we are looking forward to implement and mutual learning.”

Published in Daily Times, December 5^th 2018.