Pakistan can learn a lot from the Korean experience that has translated the country in less than half a century into the fourth largest economy in Asia and 13th largest in the world, said Federal Minister for Industries and Production Mian Manzoor Ahmed Watoo.
Addressing a convocation ceremony at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Secretariat held to award degrees to Pakistani scholars who have completed MS Engineering degree in South Korea under HEC’s Engineering Scholarship Project from Hanyang University, the Mynogji University and the Seoul National University, he said Samsung, Hyundai, Kia, LG and Daewoo, all from Korea, have become a familiar name in the household as well the industry.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Social Sector and HEC Chairperson Begum Shehnaz Wazir Ali and Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Pakistan Shin Un, Representatives of the Korean Universities, dignitaries from academia, industrial sector and technical ministries were also present on the occasion.
The minister said that engineers are builders of the nation and it is encouraging that HEC is playing an important role to produce quality professionals in the country. This lot of well-educated engineers from the leading Universities of the Republic of Korea is just one ‘product’ of the Higher Education Commission.
“I am glad that HEC has taken the lead in establishing sustainable cooperation in the promotion of higher education. I could see an equal enthusiasm in the honoured guests from the Hanyang University, the Mynogji University and the Seoul National University. The Government of Pakistan continues to give high priority to education including the higher education” Congratulating the graduates, he hoped that they would be instrumental in attracting the leading Korean industries in Pakistan not only in the manufacturing and applied engineering sector but also in establishing their R&D centres in Pakistan.
He said that his ministry would establish a joint forum with the HEC, where the technical expertise and skills of these foreign trained engineers could be shared for technical problems and up gradation issues faced by the industrial sector of Pakistan.
It is indeed, more satisfying for me that HEC has also ensured that every returning scholar from abroad or locally trained PhD scholars would have an appropriate placement in Pakistan through the dynamic job-portal of the Rozee.pk. I wish to congratulate Begum Shehnaz Wazir Ali saheba and her HEC team for this commendable feat.
Speaking on the occasion, Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali said that it is first convocation of its kind and a unique opportunity for the HEC. While congratulating the graduates, she said that without a strong base of engineers, our industry and production sector cannot progress. While referring to Korean progress, she said that it was only because of a special focus on industry as well as the higher education. She said that Physical Sciences, Engineering and Technology are priority areas where HEC has been trying to develop the human resource.
Shin Un congratulated the returned scholars for successful completion of their MS degrees. “I am really happy that senior Korean professors are themselves here to confer degrees to their Pakistani students,” he said.
HEC Executive Director Dr Sohail Naqvi said that modern economies of the world are knowledge based and if we want to compete in the comity of nations, we must focus on strengthening our human resources.
