ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has said that Pakistan will extend all possible assistance to develop the education sector of Afghanistan and capacity building of its educational institutions.
While talking to Afghan Minister for Higher Education Maulana Abdul Baqi Haqqani, who along with members of his delegation, called on him at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Wednesday, Alvi said that Afghanistan direly needs educationists, professionals and technical experts to contribute towards its reconstruction and development.
Alvi was of the view that Afghanistan is passing through a critical juncture and the international community needs to provide economic and humanitarian aid to save it from a human catastrophe.
He recalled that during the recent ECO summit in Turkmenistan, he urged the member countries and international community to address the humanitarian and economic needs of Afghanistan, which has been a victim of war for over four decades.
Both sides agreed to increase collaboration between the higher education institutions of the two countries. The president remarked that the Allama Iqbal Open University and Virtual University of Pakistan would assist Afghan universities in their digital transformation and providing online education to their students.
It was also agreed that National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) would arrange vocational training programmes for Afghans in various technical fields.
Maulana Abdul Baqi Haqqani thanked the government of Pakistan for its role in the reconstruction and education development of Afghanistan. He termed his meetings with Pakistani authorities, including the education minister of Pakistan, very fruitful, saying that it would help increase cooperation in the education sector.
