Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training, Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, chaired a high-level meeting today with representatives of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Lahore, and Arizona State University (ASU), USA. The meeting highlighted Pakistan’s growing commitment to integrating global educational standards and building a digitally empowered, knowledge-based economy.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Siddiqui emphasized that the collaboration between NIT and ASU marks a significant step in Pakistan’s academic transformation, allowing Pakistani students access to internationally recognized higher education through dual degrees, global curricula, and cutting-edge research platforms.
“Pakistan is home to over 150 million youth—we must transform this potential into a productive national asset. This partnership exemplifies our resolve to empower youth with future-ready skills,” the Minister stated.
He admired the partnership with ASU—ranked the United States’ most innovative university for 10 consecutive years—as a historic opportunity to position Pakistan at the crossroads of global innovation and local relevance.
“NIT will serve as a national talent pipeline for sectors like IT, Artificial Intelligence, fintech, and e-commerce, aligned with the Digital Pakistan vision,” he added.
Dr. Siddiqui reiterated the government's full support for such forward-looking educational models and praised the alignment between national leadership and international academic excellence. He stated that this collaboration is a model of visionary reform, showcasing what is possible when Pakistan’s entrepreneurial energy is matched with global expertise and innovation.
“The future of education in Pakistan lies in building universities that compete globally while serving locally. ASU’s collaboration with NIT demonstrates how a tech-driven, inclusive education system can transform nations,” he said.
He further noted that opportunities for similar collaborations with Virtual University and Allama Iqbal Open University were also being explored to expand the impact of ASU’s academic excellence in the domain of distance and digital learning.
