Pakistan to spend Rs11.2b on Afghan edu sector

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Pakistan has decided in principle to give Afghan students thousands of scholarships and open a campus of the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in Kabul.

The Ministry of Education and Professional Training has prepared a Rs11.2 billion package to improve Afghanistan’s education sector and skill development.

A leading Pakistani newspaper reported on Thursday the amount would be spent on scholarships to 3,000 Afghan students in Pakistani universities.

It will also be expended on free training with stipends to 5,000 Afghan nationals for skill development in Islamabad, free training to 150 Afghan teachers, 100 nursing diploma scholarships and creation of a campus of AIOU in Kabul.

Dawn quoted sources as saying that a summary had been dispatched to Prime Minister Imran Khan for approval of the assistance package for Afghanistan.

The package was finalised on the directive of Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood after last week’s meeting between the Pakistani officials and a Afghan delegation.

Led by Higher Education Minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the eight-member Afghan delegation has already visited various subordinate organisations of the education ministry.

In Wednesday, the delegation met President Dr Arif Alvi, who promised Pakistan would assist Afghanistan in digital transformation of its universities and provide online education to Afghan students.

The president said the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission would arrange training programmes for the Afghans in various fields.

Alvi added Pakistan would continue to provide all possible assistance to Afghanistan for the development of its education sector and capacity-building of its institutions.

Afghanistan was passing through a difficult phase, remarked Alvi, who urged the international community to provide economic and humanitarian aid to the war-torn country.

The two sides agreed to increase collaboration between higher education institutions of the neighbouring countries.

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