IIE Takes Part in Four-Day Training as Part of USAID’s Initiative to Build Capacity in Pakistan’s Higher Education Sector
Islamabad, December 15, 2023 – IIE, as part of the USAID Higher Education System Strengthening Activity (HESSA), led a four-day Student Leadership Development and Programming Training for public higher education institutions in Lahore, Pakistan on December 4-7, 2023. The training is part of the five-year, $19 million HESSA project designed to advance the capacity of Pakistan’s higher education institutions and systems to develop employable graduates.
The training concluded with remarks from Ms. Kate Maloney, USAID/Pakistan’s Education Director, Dr. Kenneth Holland, HESSA’s Chief of Party, and Dr. Habib-ur-Rehman, Vice Chancellor of the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore. Hosted by UET Lahore, the training brought together directors, managers, and student affairs representatives from participating universities.
Attendees received in-depth and experiential training from international experts on student society development best practices, advising student organizations, and facilitation skills for student leadership development programming. Mentoring and online strategy sessions were provided as well.
USAID’s HESSA project is being implemented by the University of Utah with support from IIE and the University of Alabama. In collaboration with 16 Pakistani public sector universities, HESSA seeks to enable and empower students—especially women and marginalized groups—to access and succeed in higher education by strengthening practices that elevate student skills and global competencies and creating strong support networks that set students up for post-graduation success.
Speaking at the closing session, USAID/Pakistan’s Education Director, Ms. Kate Maloney, said, “Together with the government of Pakistan we can support youth, particularly women and marginalized groups, in attaining higher education and provide them with an enabling environment to expand their opportunities, and allow them to contribute to the social and economic development of Pakistan.”
The HESSA Chief of Party, Dr. Kenneth Holland, reiterated the need for robust student support systems in all institutions. He said, “This training program will contribute to learning how to cultivate a student-focused approach to student organizations and societies at the universities.” Vice Chancellor of UET Lahore, Dr. Habib-ur-Rehman appreciated USAID’s commitment to supporting capacity building of university officials and strengthening student support services in higher education.
IIE has managed USAID programs for more than forty years, delivering expert scholarship and fellowship management, workforce development, university partnerships, and local capacity-building services for more than 100 projects in 30 countries around the world. This fall, USAID selected IIE to implement the new Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Program in Burma. Learn more about USAID/Pakistan’s support in the education sector.