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IN a recent setting in the US, a lively group of university students — from Pakistan, India, France, and Colombia — came together in conversation. The interaction was fascinating. While the South Asians effortlessly shuffled between Hindi or Urdu and English, the French and Colombian leaned in, eager to catch the rhythm of unfamiliar languages.
This little union of nations seemed more than friendship. It felt like soft diplomacy, warm and unscripted — and ever since the Colombian has become fluent in saying “acha, theek hai” (all’s well).
It’s a pity world leaders don’t value the diplomacy in action when cultures meet over coffee and coursework. The recent cancellation of the United States Education Foundation-administered Global Undergraduate Exchange Programme (UGRAD) for Pakistan contradicts the idea that at universities one learns the world is kinder than the issues that divide us.
Every year, 108 students, split into two groups of 54 undergraduates, visited the US through this programme. It offered one-semester scholarships for non-degree, full-time study, combined with community service, professional development, and cultural enrichment. The global programme has been cancelled only in Pakistan.
Hopes for regional education exchanges are fading.
The number of 108 students out of some 2.5 million enrolled in higher education is a drop in the ocean — but it’s a drop that matters. Given the political mood in the US, education experts fear other such programmes, too, may face the axe. Educationist Faisal Bari suggests this could be the time to look beyond the US, to Europe, the Far East, Australia — and within South Asia.
He has a point. South Asia holds immense potential; yet, for most Pakistanis, it is out of reach. India has the world’s second-largest higher education system, with over 58,000 institutions. In 2021-22, the number of foreign students enrolled was around 46,000, with the largest groups coming from Nepal (28 per cent), Afghanistan (7pc), the US (6pc), Bangladesh (6pc), the UAE (5pc), and Bhutan (3pc). Tellingly, Pakistan didn’t make it to the list.
The idea of exchange programmes for students and faculty alike is not new. As our students crossed borders, others crossed into ours. Nepali and Bengali students were once a more common sight on our campuses. The same is true for visiting faculty. Tahir Kamran, historian and head of the Department of Liberal Arts at the BNU, recalls Prof Iftikhar-ul-Awal from Dhaka University visiting the Government College University in Lahore.
But, as regional cordiality turned hostile, Dr Bari says, the plans to invite faculty, especially from India, was thwarted when visa restrictions were imposed.
Clearly, an opportunity for education exchanges in South Asia is slipping away. While there have been sporadic efforts to promote regional collaboration in higher education, often on the sidelines of Saarc meetings, only two initiatives stand out: the South Asian University in Delhi and the Asian University for Women in Chittagong. A similar opportunity lies in Unesco’s Mandanjeet Singh Scholarship, which supports postgraduate education for South Asian scholars.
Aside from bilateral MoUs with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Dr Kamran regrets that the HEC has not articulated any policy to foster similar collaborations. The World Bank is offering some support to promote knowledge exchange among South Asian countries. It helped arrange a conference in January 2025 in which delegates from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka took part. The purpose was orienting higher education for evolving national and global labour markets and promoting research and innovation for com-mercialisation.
As part of the World Bank’s #OneSouthAsia strategy, the South Asian Economics Students Meet, hosted by a network of South Asian universities, is an annual conference for undergraduate economics students from across the region. Dr Ali Hasnain, Pakistan’s coordinator for the programme, says it provides a few Lums students with a chance to connect with peers from countries often at odds with their own.
Addressing political and social mindsets is key to creating an environment for learning in the region. For, in the prevailing situation, even exploring digital learning platforms remains a challenge, as they are perceived as threats to national security and culture.
Also, with the bulk of higher education concentrated in the private sector — 147 out of a total of 247 institutions — where profit trumps purpose, the hope for such initiatives is minimal.
Those at the helm of higher education must recognise that education is as much about experiences, feelings, and dreams as it is about degrees. They must stretch outwards, seek opportunities, more near than far. Only by embracing cooperation will ‘acha, theek hai’ carry true meaning.
The writer is a freelance journalist based in Lahore.
Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2025
