ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) will send 10,000 scholars to the United States for PhD studies in next 10 years.

These scholars will get admissions in agriculture and food security, medical and allied health sciences, energy, water, climate change, advanced digital technology among others.

This was stated by Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal while explaining the Pakistan-US Knowledge Corridor during a video conference session with vice chancellors from across the country on Wednesday.

The HEC chairman, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed and executive director Dr. Arshad Ali, were also present on the occasion.

The Pakistan-US Corridor was conceptualized in June 2015 as a result of US-Pakistan Education, Science and Technology working group under the bilateral strategic dialogue.

The minister said that 10,000 PhDs educated in the best US would give spectacular results. “The government is committed to increasing access to higher education and for that purpose sub-campuses and virtual campuses are being established at district level so as to enable aspiring students to gain higher education at their doorstep.”

Dr Mukhtar Ahmed gave an overview of HEC’s efforts for developing human resource and providing state-of-the-art facilities to the higher education institutions. Speaking to Dawn the HEC chairman said all vice chancellors had been directed to prepare students for admissions in top universities of the US.

“Under Pakistan-US Corridor, the students will be prepared in such a manner that they can get scholarships for US universities. In case, the students cannot receive scholarship but succeeded in getting themselves enrolled with top universities of the US, the HEC will bear their expenses,” the chairman said and added every year, at least 1,000 students will be sent to the US for pursing higher education.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2016