Guwahati: Union Minister for Education & Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan held a bilateral meeting and co-chaired the 6th meeting of Australia India Education Council (AIEC) with Australian Counterpart His Excellency Jason Clare at Western Sydney University (WSU) on Monday.
The Australia-India Education Council held its sixth meeting, and Shri Pradhan stated that it is a very useful venue for strengthening ties and fostering engagements in education, skill development, and research goals. He asked the Australian team to host the AIEC’s 7th meeting in India the following year.
The Ministers’ discussions on how to further improve collaboration in education, skill development, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship were constructive during the bilateral meeting. In order to investigate potential areas of partnership with Indian institutions, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan invited Australian universities and skilling institutions to establish campuses in India. He also extended an invitation to HE Jason Clare to visit India by the year’s end. The ministers also decided to increase research, learning, and collaboration in order to make education a cornerstone of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Pradhan emphasised the two nations’ scientific cooperation in fields like agriculture, yoga, and ayurveda. He urged cooperation in fields like mining, logistics management, and skill certification. He added that India has established Digital University and Gati Shakti University, allowing the two nations to collaborate on curriculum development and other matters.
Pradhan also brought up the problem of Indian students’ outstanding visas for Australia. The Australian Minister pledged cooperation in hastening the processing of the outstanding visas. Later, the Ministers also conducted a joint press conference at which they announced the formation of a working group on transnational education to foster opportunities for institutional mobility in both directions and to develop a shared understanding of the legal frameworks in both nations. Shri Pradhan reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Australia in the areas of education, skill development, and research in order to promote both countries’ economic growth and prosperity.
Shri Pradhan will be visiting a school with HE Sarah Mitchell MLC, NSW Minister for Education. He will also meet with the Vice-Chancellors and senior leaders of the Australian Government’s Department of Education while at TAFE NSF and The University of New South Wales (UNSW), both of which are located in Sydney.