ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Wednesday facilitated the signing of five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between Maldives National University and Pakistani universities to promote academic and research cooperation between the two countries.
The ceremony was held at the HEC Secretariat during the three-day state visit of Maldives President Dr Mohamed Muizzu to Pakistan. Maldives National University Vice Chancellor Dr Aishath Shehenaz Adam signed the MoUs with 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.
HEC Chairman Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar and Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the Maldives Faisal Rasool Lodhi attended the ceremony, along with vice chancellors of several Pakistani universities and senior HEC officials.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar said there was significant scope for stronger academic engagement between Pakistan and the Maldives. He noted that the Government of Pakistan had stressed the need to strengthen ties between institutions of the two countries.
He said the agreements would help widen cooperation in joint research, faculty exchange, conferences, seminars and academic programmes. The HEC chairman urged the participating universities to pursue practical collaboration, including joint and dual degree programmes as well as research initiatives.
Dr Akhtar also referred to progress in Pakistan’s higher education sector, saying the number of Pakistani institutions appearing in international rankings had risen from two in 2015 to 56 in 2026. He reaffirmed HEC’s commitment to supporting academic cooperation with the Maldives and facilitating linkages between institutions in both countries.
Dr Aishath Shehenaz Adam appreciated HEC’s role in bringing university leaders together to expand academic partnerships. She said the MoUs would build on existing cooperation between Maldives and Pakistani universities and lead to practical initiatives for students, faculty members and researchers.
She said Maldives National University was already benefiting from collaborations with other Pakistani universities in medical education, university management systems, agriculture and food sciences, and law programmes.
Dr Adam said mutually beneficial partnerships were important and identified joint research, staff and student exchanges, postgraduate research and academic development as areas for further cooperation. She also pointed to opportunities for collaboration based on the Maldives’ experience in tourism and hospitality, as well as in marine sciences, environmental sustainability, climate change and challenges faced by small island nations.
Earlier, HEC Advisor Global Engagement Dr Muhammad Ali Nasir said academic partnerships could help translate 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 highlighted the commitment of both sides to turn institutional agreements into meaningful academic initiatives, expand educational opportunities and strengthen people-to-people ties between Pakistan and the Maldives.
