KEY POINTS
- President Trump has signed an order to dissolve the US Education Department and cut education funding globally
- Pakistan’s education sector expected to feel a minimal impact
- The only current educational collaboration between the US and Pakistan involves a higher education project affecting about 300 students and a Need-Based Scholarship Scheme for flood-affected areas.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is unlikely to face significant consequences from US President Donald Trump’s decision to dissolve the US Department of Education and cut global education funding.
Pakistan currently has only one higher education project running in collaboration with the U.S., which could potentially affect the academic journeys of approximately 300 students.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad, Chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan, talking to WE News English while discussing the implications of Trump’s policies on the Education sector, highlighted that the only significant initiative currently impacting Pakistan is the Need-Based Scholarship Scheme, which provided 500 scholarships to students from areas affected by the 2022 floods.
Dr. Mukhtar indicated that approximately 300 students might be adversely affected by this decision. In light of this situation, he expressed that the HEC is actively exploring various options to safeguard these students and remains hopeful about finding a solution to support them.
Dr. Tariq Banuri, the former Chairman of HEC and an authority on climate change issues, shared insights with WE News English emphasizing that the US educational framework operates quite differently, with public education being under the jurisdiction of individual states and municipalities.
Accreditation falls to independent professional organizations, while research funding is handled by specific government ministries—like those for energy, health, and agriculture. Global interactions are orchestrated by the State Department, USAID, and a range of independent organizations, including the Institute of International Education (IIE) and others,” he said.
Dr. Banuri remarked, “I can’t recall any significant collaborative initiatives between the HEC and the U.S. Department of Education.” While he acknowledged the robust development partnership between Pakistan and the U.S. that began in the 1960s, which includes numerous programs across various sectors, he pointed out that agriculture, development, and education are the three domains where the U.S. has invested substantially in Pakistan. He highlighted that notable institutions such as IBA, LUMS, and the University of Agriculture Faisalabad were established with the assistance of USAID.
The former chairman of HEC stressed that now is the time for Pakistan to strive for self-sufficiency across all sectors, declaring, The era of aid is coming to an end. One cannot rely on assistance for a lifetime.”
He contrasted the aid philosophies of the US and China, noting that while US assistance often follows a different trajectory, China tends to support Pakistan and other nations by focusing on infrastructure and softer aspects of development.
Dr. Munawar Hussain from the Area Study Centre for Africa, North and South America at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), shared with WE News English that President Trump has significantly slashed funding across various sectors, including education, health, and climate change.
The reduction in educational funding will not only reverberate within the United States but will also have repercussions for other countries. However, the withdrawal of educational funding to Pakistan may not have a profound impact,” he remarked.
Reflecting on the American Study Centre, Dr. Munawar noted that Quaid-i-Azam University was originally founded with financial support from the United States.
The Area Study Centre has long been linked with Ball State University in the USA, but the benefits have been limited to a select few, leaving the centre’s infrastructure unchanged. While the USEFP programme was intended for the Centre, internal policy challenges have led to the gradual cessation of US-funded projects,” he explained.
He recounted past struggles over the directorship of the centre, highlighting ongoing administrative issues that have hindered the processing of associate professor applications.
“Such setbacks have caused the US to retract scholarships from the ASC, redistributing them to other Pakistani universities,” he added, noting that previously, only MPhil students from ASC had access to study abroad scholarships.
Dr. Munawar lamented that the US’s involvement with this Centre of Excellence has significantly waned, pointing out that last year, ASC sought funding from the US to host an “American Study Conference,” but their request was denied due to budget constraints and substantial financial cuts. Consequently, several programmes have been completely discontinued.
As reported by ICEF Monitor, the academic landscape in the United States saw a remarkable influx of Pakistani students, with 10,000 individuals enrolling in various undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree programmes during the 2022-23 academic year.
This number surged to an impressive 11,000 in the following year, establishing a new milestone and positioning Pakistan as the 16th largest contributor to student enrolment in the US on a global scale.
Historically, the United States has poured substantial resources into educational exchanges, investing around $30 million annually in Pakistan.
This funding facilitated opportunities for approximately 500 students through scholarships and cultural exchange initiatives, including esteemed programmes like Fulbright and Humphrey.
