Delegation of UK universities to visit India to scout for NEP aligned collaborations

NEW DELHI: A delegation of 22 universities from the UK will be in India on a five-day visit to scout for New Education Policy (NEP) aligned collaborations, according to top officials from the British government. This will be the largest delegation of UK higher education leaders which will hold meetings with key state and central government officials to re-energise the relationship between the higher education sectors in both countries from June 6-10, the officials said.

British Council, the UK's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, will host the delegation. The delegation will have representatives from 22 UK universities, Universities UK International (UUKi), Department for Education (DfE UK) and Department for International Trade (DIT UK) to meet Indian government bodies and university leaders.

"The India-UK education relationship has emerged at the tail end of the pandemic stronger than ever. Over the next few days, the delegation will focus on expanding the scope and scale of India-UK partnerships in a range of thematic areas, through different models of collaboration such as Transnational Education (TNE), dual degrees, knowledge and expertise sharing, amongst others," Steve Smith, International Education Champion, UK Government, told PTI. "We are eager to take the opportunities being opened up through the implementation of NEP 2020 and are confident that we will be supported and guided through our interaction with government officials in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Kolkata. Over the course of the next four days, the delegation will interact with ten states and hope to lay the foundation for many partnerships," he added.

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The delegation will present developments between the two countries from over the past few years since the last delegation visit to India in 2019. It will focus on the need for greater India-UK collaborations in the field of science, research and innovation to address shared global challenges, and develop potential higher education collaboration opportunities as noted in the NEP. The delegation will also discuss opportunities for UK universities to explore collaboration with Indian businesses and employers and discuss current trends in two-way international student recruitment and mobility in India and the UK. It will also discuss migration and mobility partnership, mutual recognition of higher education qualifications and more initiatives for the internationalisation of higher education.

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Barbara Wickham OBE, director India, British Council said, "British Council is excited to host the largest delegation of UK higher education leaders to India, on the heels of a very successful showcase by Indian policymakers at the global Education World Forum in the UK. The UK is India’s strongest partner in the space of education, research and innovation". "The strategic India-UK Roadmap 2030 announced by the two prime ministers spotlights greater bilateral collaboration to strengthen intellectual exchange so that great minds from both nations continue addressing global challenges through science and research. The Roadmap 2030 also focuses on greater cooperation to achieve the vision of the NEP and India's knowledge ambitions – a key priority for the delegation," she added.