ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has offered 80 fully-funded scholarships to Syrian undergraduate and graduate students to study in Pakistani universities, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Education on Sunday.

This was conveyed to Syrian authorities by Education Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain during his recent visit to Syria.

“During the delegation-level talks at the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education, Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain offered 80 fully-funded scholarships (undergraduate and graduate) to Syrian side under various programmes…including medicine, dentistry, engineering, physical, natural and applied sciences, agriculture, education, etc,” said the press release.

The minister, who returned from Syria after a three-day visit, also informed the Syrian government officials that 20 scholarships out of a total of 80 shall be offered at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) with preference to students from the National Centre for the Distinguished (NCD), Homs.

Ministry says HEC to establish cultural corners in Syrian universities

The minister also mentioned that six-month fully funded (local hospitality) research fellowships at QAU were on offer for Syrian students and faculty members. While understanding the importance of the agriculture sector in both countries, the press release said the minister proposed a consortium of agriculture and livestock universities between Pakistani and Syrian universities which would encourage MSc and PhD scholars to carry out joint research relevant to common agriculture and livestock issues of both sides.

The consortium will nominate faculty for exchange visits between Pakistan and Syria as well as to provide research facilities for joint research endeavours. The minister said Pakistan would be represented by agriculture universities in Faisalabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Tandojam and Multan as well as by the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore.

The Pakistani side also offered capacity development programmes for Syrian school and university teachers at the National Academy of Higher Education at HEC in various modules, focusing on teachers’ development and leadership qualities for which the duration and need assessment will be agreed upon by both sides.

Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) and National Curriculum Council Pakistan will collaborate with the Syrian directorate of distance learning for knowledge exchange and proposal for the establishment of the AIOU campus in Syria. The minister also said the HEC would establish Pakistani cultural corners in Syrian universities in Damascus, Aleppo, Latakia, Homs and Hama.

Syria welcomed the proposal for the establishment of the Visual Arts Centre by the National College of Arts in Syria. Both sides also agreed to send a group of 10-15 school-level students to Islamabad and Damascus for 10 days to get familiar with the education and culture of both countries.

The press release said the minister assured the Syrian side of sending teachers in basic sciences to teach at NCD for one year. It was also agreed to sign a separate MoU in the field of technical and vocational education.

Rana Tanveer Hussain’s visit was a follow-up to the visit of the Syrian education minister to Pakistan last year.

During his visit, the minister met with Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous, Minister of Higher Education Bassam Bashir Ibrahim and other government officials. The Syrian prime minister while conveying his felicitations mentioned that Pakistan was a “brotherly country that stood by Syria in its hard times”.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2022