MIRPUR (AJK): Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan Wednesday said higher education was a top priority for the incumbent government in AJK.
He was talking to Chief Coordinator, Academic Council on the United Nations System Vienna Dr. Afsar Rathor, who called him.
During the meeting matters concerning enhancement of higher education opportunities, steps for promoting tourism and bolstering foreign investment were discussed in detail.
President Masood Khan said currently there were five public sector universities, three medical colleges, two cadet colleges and scores of postgraduate colleges all over the AJK. Furthermore, he said, Azad Kashmir had emerged as the most literate region in the whole of Pakistan as it had 85% literacy rate.
He added that Azad Kashmir had outclassed all other regions of the country in overall educational score, including enrollment, learning, retention, and gender parity.
In the coming years, Masood Khan said, "we will be focusing on enhancing the quality of education and investing in academic research, critical thinking, and innovation. We need to sharpen our skills and update our higher education curricula in order to fully exploit the dynamic job market."
He said there was a huge traffic of tourists to Azad Kashmir in the summer season though requisite facilities were not in place to absorb such a large number. A ‘tourism corridor’ would be built in the AJK, which would include expansion and up-gradation of existing roads, standard motels with modern facilities, theme parks and tourist facilitation centers. Special emphasis would be given to promoting eco-tourism, he added.
Masood Khan said with the inclusion of AJK in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, huge investment opportunities would be made available for local and international investors. Highlighting the projects under the auspices of CPEC, he said a special economic zone would be set up according to international industrial standards in Mirpur which would be connected to the Western CPEC Route via the Mansehra-Mirpur Expressway.
Dr Rathor expressed his interest in promoting collaborations between public sector universities of AJK and various universities of Austria, including the University of Austria.
The president said AJK universities would be keen on establishing partnerships with Austrian universities and help provide global exposure to their students and faculty members. He added that constructive steps would be taken for ensuring post-doctorate courses, split degree programs and general collaboration between AJK universities and the University of Austria.
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