KARACHI: The French government is making concerted efforts to significantly increase the number of Pakistani students pursuing higher education in France, the Consul General of France in Karachi, Alexis Chahtahtinsky, stated on Monday.
Speaking at an event celebrating the second edition of the “French Alumni Days” in Pakistan at the Alliance Française, Alexis highlighted that currently, more than 250 Pakistani students and researchers choose France every year for exchange programs, internships, courses, degrees, training, or research stays.
The French Consulate General, in collaboration with the French Embassy in Pakistan, Campus France Pakistan, and the Pakistan France Business Alliance, organized the event to promote the careers of alumni and showcase the role their French academic education played in their professional choices.
He revealed that since 2003, 670 Pakistani alumni have benefited from the Higher Education Commission’s scholarship program for PhD studies in France. Furthermore, the French government, French universities, and the European Commission fund more than 70 scholarships annually for Pakistani students pursuing master’s degrees in France.
To make French education more accessible, Alexis emphasized that tuition fees in France are among the lowest in the world, as most universities and higher education institutions are state-owned rather than private. He stated that studying in France can be up to 10 times cheaper than in the US, UK, or Canada for a comparable degree from a prestigious institution.
Deputy Chief of French Embassy Mission Guillaume Dabouis said their education program invested in imparting French knowledge, enabling global employment, and nurturing Pakistani talent for long-term dividends.
Meanwhile, Humayun Akhlaq, country president Schneider Electric disclosed Pakistan-France bilateral trade at 2 billion euros, largely through textiles, stressing more cultural and student exchanges to boost trade to 4 billion euros over five years.
The event aimed to facilitate networking between Pakistani-French alumni and representatives from the corporate and academic sectors, as the French diplomat believed that business and education must work hand-in-hand to strengthen Pakistan’s ties with France.
Kamran Khan Tessori, Governor of Sindh, was the chief guest at the event, which was attended by various personalities from the business community and education sector.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024