ISLAMABAD – Shafqat Mahmood, Federal Minister for Education, Professional Training, National Heritage and Culture met with the British Council Team in London today and discussed ongoing work of the Council in Pakistan’s education sector. The meeting was attended by Sindh Education Minister Mr Saeed Ghani, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Minister Mr Shahram Khan Tarakai, Ms Wajiha Akram MNA, Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Education and other federal and provincial officials of Pakistan. Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK, Moazzam Ahmad Khan also accompanied the Federal Minister in the meeting.  
The two sides reviewed a host of areas of bilateral cooperation in Pakistan which British Council is currently working on. Main areas of discussion included teachers training, digital & blended learning during COVID-19 Pandemic, technical training for enhanced employability,  sharing global experiences in education sector, seamless conduct of exams during the ongoing Pandemic,  inclusiveness in education, quality assurance, bringing back out of school children and developing administrative and management skills in educational institutions of the country.
While appreciating the good work of British Council in Pakistan, Minister Shafqat Mahmood underlined the need for collaboration in digital learning and sharing best practices in the field of education with each other. The Minister apprised the participants that the Government of Prime Minister Imran Khan had a special focus on technical and vocational education and for this purpose had allocated Rs.10 Billion for training of 170,000 youth under National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC). He shared that despite the Pandemic, Pakistan was successfully able to conduct exams throughout the country, and offered to share Pakistan’s experiences with the UK.
The British Council representative Mr Mark Herbert said that Pakistan remains their priority and they would continue to build lasting partnership with the country through social sector development. The British Council officials from the UK and Pakistan participated in the meeting, some of them virtually, and briefed the participants about their respective areas of responsibility.