By Asim Hussain
ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training, Ms. Wajiha Qamar, held a productive meeting with the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Sayasat Nurbek, to explore new avenues of bilateral cooperation in higher education, science, research, innovation, and skills development.
Pakistan, Kazakhstan Agree to Deepen Strategic Cooperation in Higher Education
During the meeting, Wajiha underscored that, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan has declared an Education Emergency to transform the country’s education landscape by improving access, enhancing quality, promoting innovation, and equipping young people with globally competitive skills. She emphasized that international academic partnerships are central to achieving these national objectives.
Pakistan, Kazakhstan Agree to Deepen Strategic Cooperation in Higher Education
The two Ministers discussed strengthening collaboration in higher education through expanded academic exchanges, transnational education, joint and dual-degree programmes, faculty and student mobility, collaborative research, and stronger institutional linkages between universities of Pakistan and Kazakhstan.
Ms. Wajiha Qamar appreciated Kazakhstan’s remarkable progress in modernizing its higher education sector, particularly its success in attracting internationally renowned universities, expanding academic autonomy, strengthening research and innovation, digital transformation, and aligning educational programmes with international standards. She noted that these reforms offer valuable insights for Pakistan as it advances its own higher education agenda under the Education Emergency.
Highlighting Pakistan’s commitment to educational diplomacy, Ms. Wajiha Qamar reaffirmed the Government’s resolve to foster greater people-to-people connections through education, research, and innovation. She also encouraged enhanced opportunities for Pakistani students and scholars to pursue higher and postgraduate education in Kazakhstan while promoting reciprocal academic engagement between institutions of both countries.
The meeting concluded with both sides reaffirming their commitment to translating their shared vision into practical outcomes through joint educational and research initiatives, strengthened university-to-university partnerships, expanded academic mobility, and sustained cooperation in science, higher education, and innovation, further reinforcing the longstanding friendship between Pakistan and Kazakhstan.
