Shri Pradhan welcomed Australian Minister for Education Jason Clare, MP, during his second visit to India. He praised the growing strength of the India-Australia knowledge partnership, highlighting progress in qualifications recognition, joint working groups, skill collaborations, and internationalization of education.
Both Ministers reviewed bilateral cooperation in education and skilling, agreeing to strengthen partnerships for greater mobility, employability, and prosperity. They co-chaired the 1st Australia India Education and Skill Council meeting in Gandhinagar.
The Australian India Education Council (AIESC), established in 2011, is a bi-national body guiding education, training, and research partnerships between Australia and India. It focuses on internationalization, two-way mobility, and collaboration in education and the skill ecosystem, marking the first time education and skilling are under the same institutional forum.
Shri Pradhan highlighted 2023 as a landmark year for Australia and India, particularly for cooperation in the areas of education and skill development. The inaugural Australia-India Education and Skills Council meeting will act as a catalyst in charting new roadmaps for building stronger knowledge bridges, advancing mutual priorities in education and skill development, boosting people-to-people linkages and establishing the knowledge vertical as one of the strongest pillars of India – Australia ties, he stated.
He further said that education and skills as a primary and priority area of our bilateral engagements reflects PM Shri Narendra Modi’s and Australian PM, HE Anthony Albanese’s commitment to strengthening knowledge bridges. The immensely successful inaugural Australia-India Education and Skills Council meeting has paved the way for ‘more cooperation, more collaboration and more mobility’ in identified priority areas, he added.
He informed that 5 MoUs between Australian and Indian HEIs have been exchanged today to facilitate greater research collaborations in areas like, agriculture, water management, critical minerals, healthcare, AI, renewable energy and climate change. This is going to create more opportunities for advancing educational, research and innovation priorities, student and faculty exchanges, more twining programs/dual degrees, he added.
Details of the MoUs exchanged are as follows:
The Innovative Research Universities (IRU) is a coalition of seven public universities in Australia, including Flinders University, James Cook University, La Trobe University, Murdoch University, Griffith University, University of Canberra, and Western Sydney University. Their MOU aims to strengthen the Australia-India education partnership by exploring a consortium approach for in-country degree delivery in India and expanding access to Australian higher education for Indian students.
Deakin University has launched the ‘Global Job Readiness Program’ (GJRP) in partnership with India’s National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) to tackle skills shortages in the country. The 30-hour program, delivered online, aims to upskill 15 million Indians over three years, focusing on skills in high demand among employers. The program aims to be affordable and accessible to the majority of India’s youth.
Deakin University has partnered with IIT Gandhinagar to establish a campus at GIFT City, aiming to support a quality higher education and research ecosystem in the region. The partnership will focus on science and innovation, mobility, faculty exchange, and joint doctoral programs. It will also promote bilateral funding opportunities and knowledge exchange through joint grant proposals, conferences, and workshops. The collaboration will allow IIT Gandhinagar students to transfer into higher studies and research at Deakin University in Australia and GIFT City.
Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad and Monash University. The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding is to cooperate on research and academic endeavours related to key minerals and other topics of shared interest. The Memorandum of Understanding covers joint seminars, workshops, and other academic activities in addition to the interchange of academic resources, academics, and students.
Monash University and International Center of Excellence in Mining (ICEM). This MoU aims to foster research and innovation collaboration between Monash and iCEM to in support of the mining and mineral development sector in India. A focus will be cooperation in reducing the impact of mining on climate change, increasing its efficiency and on enhancing capabilities in critical minerals and rare earth elements.
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Source: PIB
