LAHORE - The British Council on Sunday held a colourful celebratory ceremony for Pakistani students who completed their studies in the UK but were unable to attend their graduation ceremonies.
Organised in collaboration with the British High Commission and held at a local hotel, the ceremony honoured over 150 of the many thousand Pakistanis who have graduated from UK universities.
The ceremony was held to encourage the brightest and the best Pakistani students to study in the UK. Similar ceremonies were held in Islamabad and Karachi where over 400 students were honoured.
Speaking on the occasion and appreciating the contributions of Pakistan’s UK alumni, chief guest of the ceremony Susan Hyland, the British Political Counsellor said, “It is honour for me to attend the celebration of the achievements of Pakistan’s UK alumni.
These talented people will all make important contributions to the links between two countries and to a progressive and innovative Pakistan”
She said that since a very large number of Pakistanis go to the UK each year for education, there was a big alumni presence in the country, which the British Council was keen to work with. She further said, “This is the first time that such events have been held across Pakistan to honour and acknowledge the academic achievement of Pakistani students graduating from UK universities.
The British Council is committed to support higher education in Pakistan. Each year, the British Council administers a number of scholarships like Chevening, Charles Wallace fellowships and Commonwealth scholarships.”
The British Political Counsellor said that under Chevening Scholarships programme alone, over £550,000 was spent to send 23 Pakistani scholars to the UK last year in September for a one year postgraduate degree programme. The scholarships allow Pakistani students the chance to benefit from the UK’s tradition of academic excellence and make productive contributions to their society back home, she added.
On the occasion, Director Programmes British Council Pakistan Martin Fryer said, “To organise this alumni and assist them in networking with each other, the British Council has established the British Alumni Association of Pakistan (BAAP). The organisation has four provincial chapters and many other smaller sub-chapters across the country. I encourage all graduates of UK universities to join their local chapters.”
She said Pakistan and the UK enjoyed strong social, economic and cultural ties rooted in years of a shared history. “As a result, the UK remains a favourite destination for Pakistanis seeking educational opportunities abroad. However, many Pakistani students who return from the UK express disappointment at having missed out on their graduation ceremonies.
The event in Lahore is the third of a series of events providing an opportunity for alumni from UK universities to relive their graduation moments and to celebrate their academic achievements with their loved ones.
Nishat Riaz told that UK government was keen to uplift the quality of higher education in Pakistan. She said in this regard British Council was organising training programme for educators and also assisting the Pakistani curriculum designers.
While sharing his memories in UK, Former Finance Minister Dr. Salman Shah said that
There were all kinds of activities in London. He said there were a lot of school, colleges, universities, club and museums which attracted the people from all over the world to visit UK. He lauded the education system of UK, adding that London was capital of the world.
He said UK and Pakistan had many similarities, saying England is the sixth largest economy and Pakistan is the sixth largest country in the world. Dr Shah said we can learn a lot from UK. “We have a very important geographic location in the world. We need trained and well educated human resources in order to become strong nation,” he added.
On the occasion, Dr. Allah Baksh Malik, Dr Taimur Rehman, Atif Sheikh and others also shared their memories in UK. Later, Susan Hyland distributed the certificate among the graduates.