Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training, Federal Minister Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to Pakistan, H.E. Dr Oumer Hussien Oba, at the Ministry of Education and Professional Training for a courtesy call. The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in education, higher education, technical and vocational education and training, STEAM education, research and institutional linkages.
Welcoming the Ethiopian Ambassador, the Federal Minister said that Pakistan attaches great importance to its longstanding and friendly relations with Ethiopia and looks forward to further expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of education. He noted that Pakistan and Ethiopia established diplomatic relations in 1973 and that the opening of the Ethiopian Embassy in Islamabad in 2022 represented an important step towards enhancing bilateral engagement.
A key focus of the discussion was the draft Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in education, which was shared with the Ethiopian side in December 2025 through diplomatic channels. The proposed MoU seeks to establish a structured framework for educational cooperation between the two countries, covering higher education, technical and vocational education and training, STEAM education, as well as institutional and academic linkages.
The Federal Minister welcomed an update from the Ethiopian side regarding the status of the draft MoU and expressed Pakistan’s readiness to consider any comments or observations from Ethiopia with a view to finalizing a mutually agreeable text through the appropriate diplomatic channels.
Discussing higher education cooperation, the Federal Minister highlighted the potential for joint seminars, workshops and webinars, guest lectures, visiting scholars, student networking, cultural exchanges, research showcases and innovation activities, as well as the sharing of educational resources. He encouraged direct linkages between universities and research institutions of the two countries, subject to their respective mandates and applicable procedures, noting that such cooperation could promote faculty interaction, research collaboration and greater academic exposure for students.
The Federal Minister also emphasized the considerable potential for cooperation in technical and vocational education and skills development. He highlighted the role of Pakistan’s National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) and relevant Ethiopian institutions in exploring opportunities for the exchange of expertise in skills development, competency standards, industry-responsive training and institutional capacity building. He further noted that cooperation in sharing information on emerging skills requirements and labour-market trends could contribute to better alignment of training programmes with employment opportunities.
The two sides also discussed STEAM education, with particular emphasis on inquiry-based and interdisciplinary learning, research activities and the exchange of educational practices and teaching resources. The Federal Minister expressed Pakistan’s readiness to collaborate with Ethiopia in these emerging areas of educational development and innovation.
The Federal Minister proposed that, following receipt of the Ethiopian side’s comments on the draft MoU, focal persons from the two sides should engage to address any outstanding issues and develop a mutually agreeable text. He expressed hope that the two countries would thereafter proceed through the appropriate diplomatic channels towards its finalization and signing.
The Federal Minister said that Pakistan and Ethiopia should continue working to translate their cordial bilateral relations into practical educational cooperation that creates tangible opportunities for students, teachers, educational institutions and the skills development sector of both countries.
Ambassador Dr Oumer Hussien Oba appreciated the warm welcome extended to him and expressed his commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations between Pakistan and Ethiopia. He underscored the importance of enhanced cooperation in education, research and institutional linkages and highlighted the potential for greater collaboration between universities and research institutions of the two countries.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to advancing the proposed education cooperation framework and identifying concrete areas for collaboration that can further deepen educational and people-to-people ties between Pakistan and Ethiopia.
*-*-*-*-*
