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Chittagong, December
24, 2025 — Pakistan's Higher Education Commission (HEC) has successfully
administered an entry test for scholarships at Chittagong, Bangladesh, as part
of the Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor initiative—a first-of-its-kind
cooperation accord targeted at advancing shared cooperation for education,
exchange, and peace-making between both countries.
The examination is
organized in collaboration with the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka by the
relevant authority in Bangladesh, so that students from Bangladesh can appear
from their country without having to come to the capital, which is part of
Pakistan’s commitment to accessibility to education and people-to-people
engagement.
Pakistan-Bangladesh
Knowledge Corridor was inaugurated in August 2025 during the official trip of
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Muhammad Ishaq
Dar, to Bangladesh. This is an attempt at reviving and enhancing bilateral
relationships via student exchange programs, joint research, faculty exchanges,
and cultural comprehension, where education becomes an enabler of long-term
peace. One of the major components of the corridor is the “Allama Muhammad
Iqbal Scholarships Program,” in which a maximum of 500 fully-funded
scholarships will be provided for Bangladeshi nationals.
Allama Muhammad
Iqbal Scholarships Program covers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral
programs at top Pakistani universities. Preferred fields of study are:
The scholarship
package will cover the tuition fees, monthly allowances, hostel and mess fees,
airfare, books, stationery, and the settlement allowance, and is arguably the
most comprehensive overseas scholarship offer that exists today. For raising
awareness, HEC-Pakistan, in collaboration with the Pakistan High Commission,
held Pakistan Education Expos in major cities of Bangladesh:
Over 15 top
Pakistani institutions were part of it, attracting many students and
academicians. The Chittagong expo witnessed quite active participation, paving
the way for the local scholarship entry test. Especially in academic circles,
it has become a common
Eligibility is only
for citizens of Bangladesh. The age limit for BS programs is 17-23 years, and
for Doctoral programs (PhD), up to 35 years. Deadline of Application: December
15, 2025 (online application through the HEC official portal.
The success of the
scholarship test in Chittagong is a major outreach activity in the Knowledge
Corridor. It has been reported that the decentralization of the scholarship
tests made the event more accessible for the students to participate in
Chittagong instead of coming to Dhaka. This is evidence that there is
increasing trust and collaboration in both countries, as well as shared values
pertaining to education and peace, especially youth empowerment through
international education opportunities.
Impact & Future
Outlook
Apart from
scholarships, the Knowledge Corridor comprises leadership capacity building
among 100 Bangladeshi civil servants and an increased number of places in the
Technical Assistance Program for Pakistan. Education sector analysts think that
this will increase educational relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh and
will be an important part of regional security by developing human resources.
The Islamabad Center for Peace and Education welcomed the initiative, calling it a strategic investment in regional harmony. “Education is one of the key foundations of a peaceful world," said the center. "In opening its universities to students from Bangladesh, Pakistan is not merely sharing educational knowledge but also trying to build future cooperative efforts. The Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor stands out as an example of education diplomacy in bridging positional divisions in South Asia."
In conclusion the arrangement of the entry test of scholarships by the Higher Education Commission in partnership with the Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor in Chittagong is a big milestone in the cooperation that exists in education between these two countries. Such a program reflects the use of education in the promotion of peace and the empowered connection of countries in the region of Pakistan and Bangladesh.
By : Asif Ali
asifsundu.pk@gmail.com
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