The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Swedish Institute (SI) Stockholm has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding scholarship program for higher studies of University teachers and scholars of Pakistan in Sweden.
The MoU was signed by HEC Chairman Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman and SI Director General Erland Ringborg at Stockholm Sweden, in the framework of educational co-operation between the Pakistan and Sweden. Ambassador of Pakistan to Sweden Shahid Kamal also witnessed the ceremony.
The MoU states that under its own overall responsibility, the HEC will support students from several of its target institutions of higher education for master level/doctorate degree studies in Sweden, starting in 2005.
The batch may comprise up to fifty candidates each year. The Master level studies aim at a degree or certificate preparing for giving eligibility for Doctorate Degree studies while the Doctorate Degree studies aim at a "Doktorsexamen" (Doctorate Degree) from Swedish universities.
The SI will implement the scholarship program including the joint selection of the HEC scholarship candidates, their placement at Swedish universities, the monitoring of their study progress and the accounting to the HEC of any program expenditures occurring in Sweden.
Within its co-operation with the SI, the HEC will undertake all steps and carry out all activities that safeguard the implementation from the Pakistani side, whereas the SI will be responsible for implementation in Sweden.
The SI will assist the HEC scholars as widely as possible and in close co-operation with the host universities, in matters concerning initial arrival arrangements, immigration, accommodation, degree course admission, accreditation of the previous study achievements and overall adjustment to the new surroundings.
During their academic studies, the HEC awardees will be given opportunities to meet the SI staff, when the latter visit the host institutions or on meetings organised by the SI for scholarship holders.