India and the UK will collaborate on mutual recognition of academic qualifications, politicians have announced, with the Indian minister of education confirming that the two countries will also launch a task force.
UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab has attended meetings in India this week, as the two countries seek to build a “closer relationship” over the next decade.
In a meeting on December 16, Raab and Indian minister for education Ramesh Pokhriyal agreed to work together on mutual recognition of academic qualifications, starting with master’s degrees, over the next year.
I thank Rt Hon’ble @DominicRaab – Secretary of State of @FCDOGovUK for praising the NEP. He mentioned that the policy was visionary. Also discussed the mutual recognition of degrees and an agreement for creation of a taskforce at an official level was reached. pic.twitter.com/dAofGpptyQ
— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) December 16, 2020
The news was welcomed by Universities UK International as “fantastic progress” in an area it has worked on with members and sector partners, such as British Council India.
UKCISA also called for the UK government to “prioritise the international recognition of qualifications in government-to-government dialogue and future FTAs” in its position paper to help deliver a “world-class” international student experience.
The UK and India have agreed to work collaboratively on mutual recognition of academic qualifications, starting with master’s degrees.
Fantastic progress in an area we have been working on with members and sector partners such as @inBritish for a long time. 🇬🇧🇮🇳 https://t.co/ZexHLm49KK
— Universities UK International (@UUKIntl) December 16, 2020
The mutual recognition will “benefit Indian students enrolling in UK universities while supporting India’s New Education Policy 2020 vision”, the British Council India noted.
UK prime minister Boris Johnson is set to travel to India in January, his first major overseas visit after the Brexit transition comes to an end on January 1.
However, the UK is not the only country with which India is looking to collaborate on education. Education ministers from India and the UAE also met earlier in December to “take forward the strong cooperation between the two countries in the field of education”, India’s embassy in the UAE confirmed.
The Education Ministers of India and UAE met virtually today to take forward the strong cooperation between the two countries in the field of Education 📝.#NEP2020 pic.twitter.com/3FU0bOkypr
— India in UAE (@IndembAbuDhabi) December 9, 2020
Back in 2018, Indian and French counterparts agreed a similar initiative on the mutual recognition of academic qualifications, which French president Emmanuel Macron hoped would help double the number of Indian students attending higher education institutions in France.
Correction (9:56 GMT, Dec 17): A government press release incorrectly stated that the University of Edinburgh would open a new biotechnology university in the Indian state of Gujarat in July 2021, and this information has now been removed from article.
