Dharmendra Pradhan attends 2nd Australia-India Education and Skills Council meeting in Sydney

NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan attended the second Australia-India Education and Skills Council (AIESC) meeting in Sydney today. He attended the meeting alongside Australian Education Minister Jason Clare and Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles.

During the meeting, the ministers discussed forecasting future workforce and education needs, addressing skill gaps through education and training, and enhancing research collaboration between higher education institutions of both countries.

As per the official press release, Pradhan expressed hope that the AIESC would further strengthen the bilateral partnership between Australia and India across all levels of education: school, skills, and higher education. He also mentioned that the next AIESC meeting will be held in India in 2025.

Bilateral education cooperation visit

The minister is visiting Australia from October 22 to 26, 2024, to enhance bilateral cooperation in education. On October 20 and 21, he visited Singapore and met key officials to discuss cooperation in skill-based education and research. On October 23, Pradhan attended the Australian International Education Conference (AIEC) and visited the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).

Focus on collaborative education and research initiatives

Addressing the event, Dharmendra Pradhan emphasised that the AIESC meeting has become a crucial platform for strengthening knowledge bridges, advancing shared priorities in education and skills development, breaking new ground, and envisioning a brighter future for Australia and India.

“Education and skills will be the driving force for building economic prosperity for India and Australia and also forging lasting connections between our people and institutions,” he said.

According to the official press release, the minister also met with administrators from Innovative Research Universities (IRU) in Australia, engaging in discussions about collaborative approaches to education delivery and efforts to facilitate impactful research for society.