India sees education today as a “key vehicle” to accelerate a more intensive engagement between the country and the world, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday.
He said this in his address at an event held here on handing over a Letter of Intent to the University of Southampton which will be establishing a campus in India under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
“Today, we are witnessing a significant milestone in international education in India,” the Union minister said.
The University of Southampton, one of the top 100 universities in the world, will establish its first campus in India, he said at the event held at the Sushma Swaraj Bhawan here.
“Today’s event is also a testament to the strong and multi-faceted bilateral ties between India and the United Kingdom, of which education is a particularly important pillar. At the heart of this progress lies the National Education Policy 2020,” the Union minister said.
The NEP 2020 is a policy which “champions internationalisation” and aims to position India as a “global player in education”, he added.
It is more than just a policy, it is in fact a vision for the future of education in India, one that “aspires to elevate our standards to the highest global level,” the minister asserted.
“It aims to make India a hub of excellence, attracting students from around the world, setting up foreign university campuses, and fostering global competencies among our students and faculties. The initiative will help establish a strong international footprint of brand India in the education sphere,” Jaishankar said.
More crucially, it will help prepare young Indians for the global workplace. This is an increasing requirement as new technologies and services demands are sought to be “harmonised with demographic deficits,” he said.
At the same time, it will help the world to tap into Indian creativity and talent, the minister said.
“We see education today as a key vehicle to accelerate a more intensive engagement between India and the world,” the minister said.
Jaishankar said he was certain that the University of Southampton, with its rich history and academic excellence, will bring with it a wealth of knowledge, innovation and expertise to India.
Its presence will significantly benefit students by expanding their educational and research horizons, prompting a culture of knowledge exchange and encouraging enterprise and engagement on a global scale, he added.
Asserting that cooperation in education has been a “major path of the India-UK roadmap 2030”, he said, “We have MoUs on mutual recognition of academic qualifications between the two countries”.
The Young Professional Scheme (YPS) jointly announced by the two governments provides a unique opportunity for young graduates in both countries to learn and benefit from each other’s institutions.
Later, he shared some photos of the event on X.
“Pleased to attend handing over of Letter of Intent to the University of Southampton which will establish a campus in India under NEP 2020. This reflects both the vision of elevating our educational standards to the highest global levels and delivering on the education pillar of India-UK cooperation,” he wrote on the social media platform.
“Confident that such endeavours will further make our youth world-ready and foster a spirit of global understanding and cooperation,” he added.
Furthermore, the collaboration extends to cutting-edge research programmes like the UK-India research initiatives and the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC), the minister said.
These initiatives bring together the brightest minds from both countries to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time. Faculty mobility through the Global Initiative of Academic Network (GIAN) further enriches this collaboration, he added.
“In our increasingly interconnected and globalised world, it is essential that young Indians are well-informed and attended to global developments,” Jaishankar said in his address.
The presence of international universities and foreign students on Indian campuses will make an important contribution to this cultural exchange and foster a spirit of global understanding and cooperation, he said.
“I am confident that this initiative will yield far-reaching benefits, elevating India’s stature in the global education ecosystem and ensuring students are equipped with the understanding and knowledge that they need to excel in the 21st century,” he said.
