Prospects for Accelerating Uzbekistan–Pakistan Cooperation in Higher Education Identified in Islamabad

Ambassador of Uzbekistan Alisher Tukhtaev held a meeting with Pakistan’s Federal Minister of State for Education and Professional Training, Wajiha Qamar.

During the meeting, the parties discussed prospects for further strengthening cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan in the field of education, with particular emphasis on enhancing ties in higher education, exchanging experience in training professional personnel, and expanding academic cooperation between higher education institutions of the two countries.

Minister of State Wajiha Qamar highly praised the comprehensive reforms being implemented in Uzbekistan under the leadership of the President, aimed at modernizing the education sector, particularly improving the higher education system in line with contemporary requirements, supporting science and innovation, and equipping young people with modern knowledge and practical skills.

“During my visit to Uzbekistan last year to participate in the 43rd Session of the UNESCO General Conference, I personally witnessed the large-scale transformations taking place in your country,” Wajiha Qamar said. “Within the framework of that visit, meetings with the leadership of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation and the Ministry of Poverty Reduction and Employment once again convinced me that there remains enormous untapped potential for cooperation between our countries in the field of education.”

Particular attention was also given to the possibility of engaging qualified Pakistani specialists to help meet the needs of Uzbekistan’s labor market.

In particular, the Pakistani side presented proposals on training and supplying skilled personnel for Uzbekistan’s economy, especially for the textile industry, as well as establishing a mutually beneficial system for training specialists in the field of vocational education. Initiatives were also put forward to establish academic cooperation between Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies and the National University of Modern Languages in Islamabad, and to implement joint programs for training foreign language specialists.

During the negotiations, the parties also exchanged views on several important projects currently under discussion.

These included the establishment of a branch campus of Tashkent Medical University in Pakistan or the launch of joint educational programs, the opening of an Uzbekistan Studies Department at the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) of Pakistan, and the need to accelerate the drafting of an agreement on cooperation in higher education between the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Uzbekistan and Pakistan’s Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties agreed to organize a visit to Uzbekistan by a delegation led by Pakistan’s Federal Minister of State for Education and Professional Training. The purpose of the visit will be to continue discussions on identifying promising and mutually beneficial areas of cooperation in education, developing concrete practical projects, and ensuring their effective implementation.