Country Director British Council, Sue Beaumont held a reception for Vice Chancellors of 25 Pakistani universities who had returned from a Leadership conference and training in the UK. The training was sponsored by the HEC and British Council and conducted by the Leadership Foundation, UK.
The 10-day programme in the UK was concentrated on developing leadership abilities, strategic and financial management skills and included visits to UK universities. Lessons learned in the UK were discussed, and the contrast with the situation in Pakistan provided food for thought on improvement.
Discussing some of the changes resulting from the training, the Vice Chancellor of QUA, Professor Qasim Jan said he had initiated discussions with the Times Higher Education Supplement to have QUA ranked globally. The VC of the University of Gujrat, Dr Mohammad Nizamuddin was sufficiently impressed by the life long learning ethos of the UK to eliminate arbitrary age restrictions for courses in his university.
The VC of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad Dr Iqrar used the opportunity to set up an alumni chapter of his university in the UK and also initiate a joint international collaboration. Some of the universities managed to secure post doctoral positions for their faculty in the UK through the visit, and all the Pakistani universities signed at least one MoU with a UK university to develop partnerships.
About the HEC-British Council programme, Director Management and Co-ordination Awais Ahmed of the HEC said, "Leadership training is essential for Vice Chancellors and great academics need to be prepared for this challenging role and to expand their repertoire of skills.
This was a great initiative to start on that road to continuous improvement." The British Council connects people world-wide with learning opportunities and creative ideas from the UK to build lasting relationships around the world, said a statement issued here on Thursday.