Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met with Australian Minister for Education Jason Clare on Wednesday to discuss ways to deepen collaboration between the two nations in education. Their discussions centered on shared priorities, including early childhood care, teacher capacity building, and exploring the potential for school twinning programs.
Pradhan emphasized that education is central to the India-Australia partnership, saying the goal is to transform India’s education system into a competency-based framework focusing on skill development, as outlined in India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Australia’s Ministry of Education highlighted the significance of the discussions in a statement.
The two leaders agreed to further strengthen institutional ties between Indian and Australian higher education institutions, particularly in critical and emerging technologies. They also explored the possibility of establishing branch campuses of Australian universities in India, aiming to foster greater collaboration.
During his visit, Pradhan delivered the plenary session at the Australian International Education Conference, where he spoke about the transformative impact of NEP 2020 on India’s education landscape. He underscored the enduring India-Australia relationship and the strides made in education cooperation driven by the NEP framework.
In a post on X, Pradhan said, “The establishment of Australian university campuses in India is just the beginning—there’s much more we can achieve together. We can advance knowledge, leverage technology to tackle global challenges, and create limitless opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship for students.”
He further stressed India’s commitment to fostering human-centric development. “As a ‘Vishwa-Bandhu’, India is committed to building and nurturing global citizens and shaping a brighter future for the next generation,” Pradhan’s post read.
Jason Clare also shared a gesture of camaraderie by gifting Pradhan a personalized jersey bearing the name ‘Pradhan’ and the number 20. Clare posted a video on X with the caption, “Mateship and Maitri!” celebrating the warm ties between the two nations.
Before his Australian visit, Pradhan met with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on October 21 to discuss enhancing bilateral cooperation in school education, vocational training, and research. The discussions focused on strengthening their partnership through three key pillars—’Talent, Resource, and Market.’
Pradhan described Singapore as a trusted knowledge partner, particularly in advancing deep tech, start-ups, and innovation ecosystems. “Called on PM of Singapore, HE @LawrenceWongST. Had meaningful conversations on elevating and expanding our cooperation in school education, vocational education, and research,” Pradhan wrote on X.
He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Singaporean counterpart have unveiled a framework to strengthen India-Singapore cooperation into a comprehensive partnership. “India looks to Singapore as a trusted partner in further invigorating our mutual priorities,” Pradhan said.
(Inputs from ANI)