Professor Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman of the Higher Education Commission
(HEC) of Pakistan, has expressed a desire to expand ties with AIT, and
offered to host a visit by the AIT President for strategic discussions
with counterparts in Pakistan.
He was speaking at a high-level HEC-AIT meeting on 19 September 2014
hosted by the Pakistan Embassy in Bangkok. AIT President Worsak
Kanok-Nukulchai was joined at the meeting by Professor Emeritus Dr.
Sahas Bunditkul, Chairman of the Executive Committee.
"AIT is our priority," and the renewal of the existing memorandum of
understanding presents an opportunity for building on the mutually
beneficial relationship, the HEC chairman said.
Prof. Mukhtar added that he was proud to be an honorary member of the
AIT Alumni Association, and remains confident of AIT's continuing and
prominent role in Pakistan's human development. "We reconfirm our
fullest commitment to AIT. We feel it is our own institution."
He also informed the AIT delegation about the Pakistan Government's
ambitious US$ 5 billion initiative to expand the country's higher
education infrastructure, including efforts to double the number of
PhDs graduating each year to 1000.
President Worsak welcomed HEC's continuing engagement with AIT, saying
the institute is keen to accept more Pakistani students, and also
seconded faculty. The president also pointed out how the institute
benefits from scholarships provided by valued partners such as
Pakistan, and would like to expand cooperation possibilities within
HEC's plans.
Prof. Mukhtar noted that reliance on government funding for higher
education is no longer the sole option, referring to how universities
in Pakistan are being encouraged to build up R&D capacity and
industry linkages to generate revenue for upgrading technology, digital
resources, and the quality of faculty research.
Nowadays, students can also choose from a vast array of subjects and
institutions, and top students have high demands from faculty and
learning environments. HEC aims to work closely with AIT in meeting
such expectations, the HEC chairman said.
Prof. Mukhtar added that Pakistan was reviewing the retirement age to
enable faculty to remain productive longer. "We can share our
experience too and even facilitate discussions that might be useful for
AIT."
It was agreed that AIT would respond to the current draft MOU, and
share a draft outline of seconded faculty exchange modalities for
review and confirmation by HEC.
Engagement could also include increased interaction with leading
universities in Pakistan to explore areas where AIT can have more
meaningful strategic exchanges, including split degree programs, joint
professorships, and research collaboration in Water Resources, Energy,
Food Security and Environmental Management.
AIT possesses expertise to share with Pakistani universities in fields
such as Aquaculture, GIS, and Food Processing, and could benefit from
exposure to research opportunities in Pakistan in the social sciences,
officials said.
Referring to his own extensive experience in academia and public
service and Dr. Sahas said that even though he was not an AIT alumnus,
he took pride that such a unique institution in Thailand contributes so
significantly to the whole region.
HE Dr. Sohail Khan, Ambassador of Pakistan to Thailand agreed,
mentioning that AIT was among the few fully recognized international
universities in Pakistan. It is well-known for its quality and the
excellent work of its alumni who are now in prominent positions, he
said.
The ambassador supported the view that apart from the scholarship
support HEC was considering for AIT, there is opportunity for greater
faculty exchange and research linkages. He invited AIT to share its
procedure for inviting seconded overseas faculty, and expressed a
desire to establish modalities for Pakistan.
Ambassador Khan confirmed the Embassy of Pakistan’s desire to assist
HEC-AIT collaboration, saying he stood ready to facilitate efforts to
scale-up this historic relationship.
Both sides agreed to expand academic interaction through existing
consortiums comprising Pakistani and international universities.
HEC also agreed to share its strategic Mid-term Development Framework
document to jointly identify priorities areas of academic exchange.
Mr. Ataul Munim Shahid and Ms. Aqsa Nawaz, both for the Pakistan
Embassy, and Dr. Faiz Shah from AIT Extension, also attended the
meeting.
AIT delegation at the HEC-AIT meeting
hosted by the Embassy of Pakistan in Thailand.