The British Council and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan collaborated to conduct the inaugural event for Phase-II of the Pak-UK Education Gateway at the HEC Secretariat.

Among the prominent guests were Farah Naz Akbar, Parliamentary Secretary for Federal Education and Professional Training; Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, HEC Chairman; Scott McDonald, British Council CEO; Andrew Dalgleish, UK Deputy High Commissioner; Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat; and a number of vice chancellors and representatives from the British Council and HEC.

The event's chief guest was Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal.

In the field of higher education the project seeks to improve bilateral relations between Pakistan and the UK. We expect Phase-II to enhance research partnerships, academic collaborations, and long-term educational cooperation, building on the achievements of Phase-I, introduced in 2018.

Phase-II, which is set to start in June 2025, will concentrate on six main areas: Transnational Education and Mutual Recognition of Qualifications, Leadership and Governance, Scholarships, Women in Higher Education, Faculty Development, and Research for Impact. These elements are intended to support Pakistan's objectives for higher education, encourage staff and student mobility, and boost collaborative research initiatives with UK universities.

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Phase-I, which had a budget of about PKR 1.97 billion, produced 47 scholarly articles and 27 patents, among other noteworthy accomplishments, including eight collaborative research awards. 275 PhD supervisors were trained, more than 40 vice-chancellors received leadership training, and 200 academic fellowships were awarded.

Minister Ahsan Iqbal commended the British Council's contribution to the creation of the Quality Assurance Framework for Pakistani universities during his remarks. In order to keep up with regional rivals, he emphasized the significance of raising Pakistan's tertiary education system's enrollment rate, which is now at 13%. He also expressed hope for the Pak-UK Education Gateway's sustained success.

He suggested measures include investigating postdoctoral opportunities for Pakistani academics in the UK, expanding the number of PhDs with UK qualifications in Pakistan, and creating specialized training programs for faculty. He further called on institutions to match research with the economic needs of the country and underlined the need of funding high-quality education, particularly for students studying overseas.

In his speech, HEC Chairman Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed emphasized the close cooperation between HEC and the British Council, which has been crucial in creating the HEC Quality Assurance Framework and new guidelines for transnational education and open and distance learning. Even after Phase II officially ends, he expressed hope that it will continue to improve the effect, caliber, and inclusivity of the education system in both nations, yielding long-term advantages.