Pakistan Education Expo offers 500 fully funded scholarships to Bangladeshi students

The Pakistan Education Expo 2026, held at Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden on Monday, highlighted new opportunities for Bangladeshi students as organisers announced 500 fully funded scholarships aimed at strengthening the “Dhaka Knowledge Corridor” and expanding academic collaboration between Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the Pakistan Education Expo 2026, Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon praised Pakistan’s higher education initiatives and stressed the importance of international academic cooperation.

“I visited the stalls and realised how remarkably their education system has developed. In particular, I warmly welcome their initiative of offering full scholarships to our talented students,” he said.

The minister said Bangladeshi educational institutions should also strengthen their international presence so that foreign students become interested in pursuing higher education in Bangladesh.

“In this global village, it is through the exchange of education and knowledge that we will remain globally competitive,” he added.

Describing overseas education as an opportunity rather than a loss, he said he preferred the term “reverse brain drain”, expressing hope that students studying abroad would return home with knowledge and experience to contribute to nation-building and humanitarian service.

Highlighting the government’s priorities, he said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is placing special emphasis on education, particularly technical and vocational training, alongside ongoing reforms in the sector.

He also said the expo could open a “new corridor” of cooperation between Bangladesh and Pakistan, encouraging future joint academic initiatives and greater student exchange opportunities.

Pakistan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider said Bangladesh and Pakistan share a unique bond rooted in history, common faith, cultural affinity and familial ties.

He noted that bilateral cooperation between the two countries has expanded significantly in recent years, with trade increasing by more than 20 per cent alongside growing cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

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Describing the education expo as an important initiative, he said the proposed “knowledge corridor” would create opportunities for academic mobility, joint research and long-term connections between the people of both countries.

Highlighting Pakistan’s strengths in higher education, he said the country has a strong tradition of excellence in engineering, information technology, agriculture, social sciences and the humanities. He added that Pakistan is also making rapid progress in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, data science, aviation and other future-oriented skills.

“By opening our doors to students from Bangladesh, we are not only sharing knowledge but also strengthening the bonds of trust and collaboration between our peoples,” he said, adding that Bangladeshi students would enrich academic environments and inspire innovation across disciplines.

Leading Pakistani universities participating in the expo included Bahria University, COMSATS University Islamabad, Dow University of Health Sciences, FAST-NUCES, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Institute of Business Administration Karachi, Institute of Management Sciences Peshawar, Iqra University, Khyber Medical University, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, National University of Modern Languages, National University of Sciences and Technology, NED University of Engineering and Technology, NUTECH University, Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Peshawar, The University of Faisalabad and University of Lahore.