CPEC means Pakistan’s entry into the global supply chain : Ahsan Iqbal

Lahore : “CPEC means Pakistan’s entry into the global supply chain,” said Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Prof. Ahsan Iqbal in his inaugural address at the first Pakistan-China Forum on Higher Education, at Air University, Islamabad, jointly organized by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and China Association of Higher Education.

The forum started with a welcome note from the Vice Chancellor, Air University, AVM (R) Faaiz Amir and a scholarly exposition of the theme by Lt. Gen. (R) Muhammad Asghar, Consultant CPEC at HEC.

On the occasion, the leader of the Chinese delegation, Ms. Xiaomei Wang, also highlighted the need for greater cooperation between the academia of the two countries.

Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that the current government is fully supportive of higher education commission aimed at capacity building of existing HEIs ( higher education institutes) to prepare suitable human resource for CPEC and promote cultural harmony between the two countries.

He also appreciated the efforts of the Higher Education Commission for building CPEC University Alliance and CPEC Consortium of Business Schools.

“These efforts will help build collaborative linkages and intellectual connectivity which symbolize the spirit of CPEC,” he said. The minister welcomed the Chinese Scholars to Pakistan which he hoped will explore new avenues of mutual cooperation between the two countries.

Earlier, in his address, the Executive Director of HEC, Dr Arshad Ali thanked the Minister for his wholehearted support for higher education, which he emphasized in not a goal but a pre-requisite in a knowledge-based economy.

The Forum focused on three areas: National Role and Contribution in Improving Quality of Higher Education; Ensuring Quality with Large-scale Increase in Access; and Balancing Quality of Higher Education in Diverse Regions.

The one-day forum on “Challenges of Equitable Access and Quality in Higher Education” was also addressed by eminent speakers from the higher education bodies of the two countries and attended by a large number of educationists and students.