ISLAMABAD: The United States gives high importance to education and exchange program between the two countries and this was highlighted during the recent visit of Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce.
During the visit, a wide-range of education and exchange opportunities, offered to Pakistanis were discussed.
According to a press release, she met with Dr Tariq Banuri, the chairman of the Pakistan Higher Education Commission, which is working to foster a culture of quality in Pakistan’s higher education sector through scholarly interaction among US and Pakistani faculty and administrators.
They also discussed the continuing educational partnership between the American and Pakistani governments, including the Fulbright Program. Fulbright is the American government’s flagship academic exchange program and thanked the contributions by both the American and Pakistani governments, Pakistan’s program is contributing to a greater capacity for cooperation and closer ties across all sectors of society.
The United States Educational Foundation administers the Fulbright Program in Pakistan, and Royce met with the organization’s executive director, Rita Akhtar.
The Assistant Secretary also spoke to 156 Pakistanis preparing to depart for the U.S., where they will pursue advanced studies and research in the Fulbright’s Master’s, PhD and Foreign Language Teaching Assistant programs.
Royce also visited the Pakistan National Council for the Arts, where she met Executive Director Jamal Shah and learned about the work of some of Pakistan’s best-known artists.