ISLAMABAD, OCT 21 /DNA/ – Building bridges through higher education collaboration, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) welcomed the honorable Vice Chancellor of Maldives National University – Dr. Aishath Shehenaz Adam to Pakistan and facilitated the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between the Maldives National University and five Pakistani universities to strengthen bilateral academic and research cooperation, academic exchange, institutional partnership, and knowledge sharing.
In this connection, HEC organised an MoU signing ceremony at its Secretariat, wherein Vice Chancellor Maldives National University Dr. Aishath Shehenaz Adam signed MoUs with the heads and representatives of the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS AAUR), University of Wah, Government College University (GCU) Lahore, and Foundation University Islamabad. The development has taken place on the occasion of the historic three-day state visit of the President of Maldives Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to Pakistan.
Chairman HEC Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar and High Commissioner of Pakistan to the Maldives Faisal Rasool Lodhi graced the ceremony alongside the vice chancellors of several Pakistani universities and senior HEC officers.
Addressing the ceremony, Chairman HEC Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar highlighted the potential for closer academic engagement between Pakistan and the Maldives, noting that the Government of Pakistan had emphasized strengthening ties between the two countries’ institutions. He said the agreements offered opportunities to expand cooperation in joint research, faculty exchange, conferences, seminars and academic programs.
The Chairman encouraged the participating universities to explore practical collaboration, including joint and dual degree programs and research initiatives. He also highlighted the progress of Pakistan’s higher education sector, noting that the number of Pakistani institutions appearing in international rankings has increased from two in 2015 to 56 in 2026. He reaffirmed HEC’s commitment to supporting academic cooperation with the Maldives and facilitating collaboration between institutions in both countries.
Vice Chancellor Maldives National University Dr. Aishath Shehenaz Adam appreciated HEC’s initiative in bringing together university leaders to expand academic partnerships. She said the agreements would build on existing cooperation between the Maldives and Pakistani universities, leading to practical initiatives benefiting students, faculty and researchers. She said Maldives National University already benefits from ongoing collaborations with different other Pakistani universities, involving medical education, university management systems, agriculture and food sciences, and law programs.
Dr. Adam emphasized the importance of mutually beneficial partnerships, identifying joint research, staff and student exchanges, postgraduate research and academic development as areas for further cooperation. She also highlighted opportunities to draw on the Maldives’ experience in tourism and hospitality and to explore collaboration in marine sciences, environmental sustainability, climate change and challenges faced by small island nations.
In his opening remarks earlier, Advisor Global Engagement HEC Dr. Muhammad Ali Nasir highlighted the role of academic partnerships in translating the longstanding friendship between Pakistan and the Maldives into sustained cooperation among students, researchers and faculty members. He said HEC facilitates international linkages by connecting Pakistani higher education institutions with partners abroad and promoting purposeful, reciprocal and sustainable collaboration.
The ceremony underscored the shared commitment to translating institutional agreements into meaningful academic initiatives, expanding educational opportunities and strengthening people-to-people ties between Pakistan and the Maldives.
