BEIJING: The CPEC Cultural Communication Center (3C) under its ‘Talent Corridor’ scheme will offer scholarships to 1,000 Pakistani students for a one-year vocational training starting from November this year in China.
“The students to be selected from across the country will be provided free tuition and dormitory during the training at different universities and institutes in China,” Echo Lee, Director General, CPEC 3C and CEO of St. Xianglin Management and Consulting Company, said while talking to APP here on Sunday.
The CPEC 3C is located in China’s Suzhou Vocational University, which has the world-class facilities and able faculty and its functions include Sino-Pak students exchange, academic research and seminars, vocational education, organizing Chinese culture experience camp and teachers exchange, she added.
Giving further details about scholarship scheme, she said it is a three level program and the students will be taught outer space and high-speed train technology during the first level while in the middle level, they will be imparted education of hydro-power and solar energy engineering.
The students selected for the lowest level will get training for the driving of different machines and types of equipment including excavation machines and caterpillar etc.
Echo Lee said this year, 1,000 students will be offered 20 majors from a high level to lower level classes as compared to 100 scholarships in six majors last year.
While hoping for a positive response and cooperation from the Pakistani side, she said that details are being discussed at present with the officials concerned in the Pakistan ministry of planning, development, and reforms as well as the embassy of Pakistan in Beijing.
She informed the CPEC 3C is jointly working along with the Chinese education ministry which is affiliated with a number of vocational universities and institutes.
To a question, she claimed that vocational education in China is of the highest level in the world, adding that in some areas it is even better than Germany and Japan.
The CEO said this cross-border education exchange program is step one of the overall project and added that in the next phases equipment and teachers will be sent for vocational training of Pakistani students in their own country.
The Chinese vocational education centers, as well as educational parks, would be set up in Pakistan in future, she added.
She said her organization intends to donate some training equipment and is looking forward to a positive response from Pakistani institutions which are interested in receiving it.
About the cooperation in the past, she said her organization has signed an MoU with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) governments to set up cultural communication centers under the CPEC framework.
These centers will serve as the main forum in the field of Sino-Pak education and cultural communication, she added.
1,000 Pakistani students to be offered vocational training, education in China
1,000 Pakistani students to be offered vocational training, education in China
- 1,000 students will be offered 20 majors this year from a high level to lower level classes as compared to 100 scholarships in six majors last year
- The Chinese vocational education centers, as well as educational parks, would be set up in Pakistan in future
Pakistan, UK sign £35 million Green Compact to strengthen climate resilience
- Pakistan ranks among nations most vulnerable to climate change and has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns
- UK will help Pakistan mobilize climate finance, strengthen regulatory frameworks and develop bankable climate projects
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Kingdom (UK) have formalized a comprehensive climate partnership with the launch of a Green Compact that aims to enhance climate resilience, accelerate clean energy transition and scale up nature-based solutions, including mangrove conservation, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday.
The agreement, signed in Islamabad by Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr. Musadik Malik and UK Minister for International Development Jennifer Chapman, unlocks £35 million in targeted support for green development and long-term climate action, according to Radio Pakistan broadcaster.
Pakistan ranks among nations most vulnerable to climate change and has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns that have led to frequent heatwaves, untimely rains, storms, cyclones, floods and droughts in recent years. In 2022, monsoon floods killed over 1,700 people, displaced another 33 million and caused over $30 billion losses, while another 1,037 people were killed in floods this year.
Mohammad Saleem Shaikh, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change, described the compact as a “decisive move toward action-oriented climate cooperation,” noting that its implementation over the next decade will be critical for Pakistan which regularly faces floods, heatwaves and water stress.
“The Compact is structured around five core pillars: climate finance and investment, clean energy transition, nature-based solutions, innovation and youth empowerment, and adaptation and resilience,” the report read.
“Under the agreement, the UK will work with Pakistan to mobilize public and private climate finance, strengthen regulatory frameworks for green investment, and develop bankable climate projects.”
Clean energy forms a central component of Pakistan’s transition, with Islamabad planning to expand solar and wind generation to reduce fossil fuel dependence, improve energy security and stabilize power costs, according to Shaikh.
“Renewable energy is now economically competitive, making the transition both environmentally and financially viable,” he was quoted as saying.
“Nature-based solutions, particularly large-scale mangrove restoration, will protect coastal communities from storm surges and erosion while enhancing biodiversity and carbon sequestration.”
Under the Compact, technical support, mentoring and access to investors will be provided to climate-smart startups and young innovators, reflecting Pakistan’s recognition of youth-led initiatives as central to future climate solutions.
On the occasion, Chapman, on her first official visit to Pakistan, underscored the urgency of climate action, highlighting the UK’s support for renewable energy, mangrove and ecosystem restoration, early-warning systems, climate budgeting and international investment flows into Pakistan.
Shaikh described the Green Compact as “a strategic turning point” in Pakistan–UK relations on climate change, saying its effective implementation is essential for Pakistan to meet its national climate targets.
