Today, August 22, at Western Sydney University (WSU), Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister for Education, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship, and his Australian counterpart Jason Clare co-chaired the sixth meeting of the Australia India Education Council (AIEC). Both ministers discussed ways to improve collaboration in education, skill development, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship during their bilateral meeting. In order to elevate education to a central tenet of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Mr. Pradhan and Mr. Clare also decided to increase the scope of their collaboration in the fields of learning, skilling, and research.
In order to investigate potential areas of partnership with Indian institutions, Dharmendra Pradhan invited Australian universities and skilling institutions to establish campuses in India. By the end of the year, Jason Clare has been invited to visit India by Mr. Pradhan.
The Australia-India Education Council held its sixth meeting, and Mr. Pradhan stated that it is a very useful venue for fostering relationships and increasing participation with education, skill development, and research agendas. He asked the Australian delegation to host the seventh AIEC meeting in India the following year.
During the meeting, Mr. Pradhan emphasised the need of scientific cooperation between the two nations in fields including agriculture, yoga, and ayurveda. He urged cooperation in fields including mining and logistics management as well as 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.
According to a formal statement made in this respect, Mr. Pradhan also brought up the subject of Indian students' outstanding visas for Australia. The Australian Minister pledged cooperation in hastening the processing of the outstanding visas.
Later, the two ministers jointly announced the formation of a working group on transnational education to foster institutional mobility in both directions and to develop a shared understanding of the regulatory frameworks in both nations.
According to the statement, Mr. 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.