KARACHI: Italian Consulate in Karachi has since long promoted University cooperation between Italy and Pakistan, as evidenced by sizable and growing number of Pakistani students who choose Italy as their destination for Higher Education as well as by joint-research projects undertaken with benefits for both countries.

It is especially important today to invest in younger generations providing them with wider opportunities and promoting scientific and technical knowledge and cultural exchanges.  Prof. Roberto Tottoli Chancellor of University of Naples L’Orientale is visiting Karachi on invitation of Institute of Business Administration. Visit of Prof. Tottoli to Karachi highlights Italian Consulate’s efforts to strengthen academic exchanges and cooperation. L’Orientale University of Naples has Memorandum of Understanding with University of Karachi, which was signed in 2022 and is envisaging establishing long-term cooperation with IBA. Prof. Tottoli’s expertise lies in Arabist studies, Islamic history and Arabic Qur’anic manuscript traditions. L’Orientale University also has Department of Urdu language and culture.

CG of Italy Danilo Giurdanella accompanied Chancellor Tottoli met both Vice Chancellors of IBA and University of Karachi and discussed further possibility of cooperation. Growing interest of students in Sindh and Balochistan in pursuing Higher Education in Italy is increasing, with over 600 students from Sindh and Balochistan having gone to Italy for graduate, postgraduate and doctorate degree programmes in past year. Universitaly portal provides step by step guidelines for students to access top universities in Italy. Italian system of Higher Education includes around 144 institutions, most of them being public sector universities imparting excellence in research and education. Four out of ten oldest universities in world are Italian and these are University of Bologna (1088), University of Padua (1222), “Federico II” University of Naples (1224), and the University of Siena (1240). Influx of Pakistani students to Italy has significantly increased during last few years as leading universities in Italy offer degree programmes taught in English and hence has become popular destination for higher education. Exchanges between Italian and Pakistani universities have been primarily in fields of natural sciences, engineering, medicine and technology with several top Italian universities engaged in Pakistan. With visit of Prof. Tottoli to Karachi, besides academic cooperation in varied discourses and disciplines, Consulate of Italy in Karachi is aiming for bilateral promotion of Italian and Urdu language between Italian and Pakistani universities that aims to promote teaching of Italian language in Sindh and promotion of Urdu       language in Italy.