ISLAMABAD: Taking notice of the matter, federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Tanveer Hussain met some students who returned home from China in the middle of their studies after Covid-19 pandemic broke out there two years ago, and who have since then been stuck in Pakistan due to certain issues.

At the meeting between the minister and the students’ delegation, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Higher Education Commission (HEC), Aviation Division, and senior officers of the education ministry were also present.

The representatives of MoFA informed participants of the meeting that in the first phase, China has given a list of 251 students to Pakistan, out of which 60 percent students have been successfully reached.

The federal minister directed the HEC to increase its efforts and use all resources in reaching out to the students who had not been contacted before, and also to set up an effective coordination mechanism between all stakeholders for exchange of necessary details.

While considering the financial constraints of the students, Hussain directed the education ministry officials to develop a mechanism under which the government could assist the students by sharing the costs involved. He also instructed Pakistan’s education attaché in Beijing to play the role of the main coordinator and to rigorously follow up with the Chinese authorities in the best interest of the Pakistani students.

Due to the Chinese government’s zero tolerance policy for Covid-19, using the options of regular flights and traveling by road are not too bright, the meeting was informed.

The federal minister reiterated that education is the highest priority of the present government and assured the students that their problems would be solved on a war footing.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022