ISLAMABAD: France is the new destination of Pakistani students wanting to pursue undergraduate and graduate degree programmes, French Ambassador to Pakistan Nicolas Galey said on Friday.

Addressing a press conference along with Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan at his residence, Mr Galey said more and more students were showing interest in getting enrolled in French educational institutions.

He said under the French government’s initiative titled ‘Choose France’, officials associated with this initiative have been facilitating Pakistani students in getting enrolled in the world’s top-ranked French universities.

He said the French government was also discussing proposals for starting dual degree programmes in Pakistani and French universities.

Ambassador Galey said several agreements had been signed between French and Pakistani universities and many more were in the pipeline.

He said the occasion was particularly timely, as we “concluded the third edition of the Choose France Education Tour in Pakistan, which was held in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.”

The ambassador said efforts were underway for launching dual degree programmes to enhance the quality of education and open new scholarship opportunities for students such as the prestigious Erasmus Mundus.

Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, while speaking on the occasion, appreciated the cooperation of France in higher education sector.

He said youth empowerment was an integral part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s policy.

The press conference of the French ambassador and Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan was followed by a panel discussion among officials of the ‘Choose France’, two representatives of French universities and two alumni.

The panelists said students could get authentic free of cost information from ‘Choose France’ about education in France as well as visa process.

They said during their study, students could also work in many companies in France. The officials of ‘Choose France’ initiative told the audience that earlier in 2021, there were zero Pakistani students in France, but in 2022, there were 200 students and last year their number increased upto 400.

This year, they said, there were 1,400 Pakistani students getting education in France.

The officials said Pakistani students were enjoying best campus life as well as other facilities including scholarship programmes.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2024