Union Minister of State for Education and External Affairs RK Ranjan Singh said that India was a Vishwa Guru in the ancient times of Nalanda and Takshila and to ensure sustainable growth, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has been developed to make India a Vishwa Guru yet again.
The minister was addressing the inaugural function of the 5th Globalised Education Forum organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce under the theme "Internationalization of Indian Higher Education" in New Delhi, as function chief guest.
Ranjan said that the government has taken up various initiatives to internationalise the higher education system of India. Globalization of education has effectively changed the society from industry-based society to information-based society, he said.
The minister further said that the government is proactive to achieve the above-mentioned objectives contained in the NEP 2020 and several steps have been taken.
At the government-to-government level, the Education Ministry has signed MoUs/Education Exchange Programmes with counterparts in various countries, he said.
In this regard, MoU has been recently signed with Norway for cooperation in higher education. Also, an MoU with UAE for educational collaboration has been recently approved by the Cabinet and will be signed soon. Bilateral visit to Australia, led by the Education minister and the sixth Australia-India Education Council meeting were organised recently, he informed.
He said that to ensure smooth mobility of students and professionals across countries, a MoU with the United Kingdom on Mutual Recognition of Qualifications have been recently signed. A Joint Task Force for Mutual Recognition of Qualifications with Australia has been set up to develop a framework for mutual recognition of educational and skills qualification, he added.
The minister also informed that regular engagement is being continued with multilateral organizations like BRICS, SCO, G20, Arab League, African Union, IORA, SAARC, BIMSTEC etc. for strengthening educational collaborations with foreign countries as a group.
The Education Ministry participated in the G20 Education Working Group Meetings and Education Ministers' meeting. Bilateral meetings with the Education Ministers of Indonesia, Singapore, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and South Africa were also held on the sidelines.
A decision was taken to form Joint Working Groups with the Education Ministry of these countries to take the educational cooperation agenda forward, the minister informed.
He also informed that UGC Guidelines for Multiple Entry and Exit options in academic programmes, establishment of an Academic Bank of Credits and regulations on Credit Framework for Online Learning Courses through Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) have been approved. Under this, students could get 40 per cent of credit through online courses including those from foreign universities. More than 150 Indian universities have already adopted SWAYAM Courses.
Indian Institutions of Eminence have been allowed to establish offshore campuses; proposals for establishment of offshore campuses of IITs in UAE, Malaysia and Tanzania are under consideration; UGC is also working on a regulation that World-class foreign universities and institutions have been allowed in the Gujarat International Finance and Tech (GIFT) City to offer courses in Financial Management, FinTech, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, the minister said.
In this regard, a letter of Intent has been received from the University of Wollongong in Australia, he added.
Also Read: Multiple flights to boost connectivity to Northeast India launched
