The University of Utah and Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC) have teamed up to promote capacity-building in the country’s public universities. According to a press release from HEC on Thursday, the initiative, which is funded by USAID under the Higher Education System Strengthening Activity (HESSA), intends to improve institutional governance, faculty development, strategic planning, and policy reform.
HEC Chairman Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, USAID Deputy Mission Director Andrew McKim, and other high-ranking representatives from HEC, the University of Utah, and USAID attended the signing ceremony. Awais Ahmed, HEC’s adviser for global engagement, and Dr. Michael Barber, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Utah, signed the partnership agreement. Building on the assistance already given to 16 other Pakistani universities, this new partnership expands the HESSA initiative to 16 more.
“This collaboration with the University of Utah will empower faculty and institutional leaders to elevate education standards across Pakistan,” said Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, underscoring the significance of such partnerships. He praised USAID for its important contributions and called Pakistan’s youth a “goldmine” that needed a lot of funding.
“USAID is proud to support this transformative initiative, which reinforces education’s role in sustainable development in Pakistan,” said Andrew McKim, who spoke for USAID, reaffirming the organization’s commitment to the project. “We are honored to partner with HEC to advance Pakistan’s education system and promote academic growth,” said Dr. Michael Barber, echoing the excitement of the University of Utah.
HEC Adviser Awais Ahmed outlined the goals of the partnership, which include policy reform support, training capacity building, and strategic planning to improve higher education.
According to the HEC press release, the partnership is a component of USAID’s objective to fortify Pakistan’s higher education system and equip academic institutions to meet global challenges. HEC’s dedication to developing enduring international academic partnerships that benefit both students and faculty is reflected in the partnership with the University of Utah.
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