Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared that his nation and the government of India have reached a final agreement on the recognition mechanism for education qualifications between Australia and India, according to an official statement. During a recent program where it was declared that Deakin University of Australia would establish an international branch campus in GIFT City located in Gandhinagar, Albanese disclosed the news, the statement mentioned.
The new mechanism aims to enable Indian students who have studied in Australia to have their degrees recognised upon returning to their home country. Additionally, the large Indian diaspora in Australia, which is currently growing and comprises five lakh individuals, will also benefit from the mechanism by feeling more assured that their Indian qualifications will be acknowledged in Australia, Albanese explained. He called it the ‘most comprehensive and ambitious arrangement’ agreed to by India with any country, which “paves the way for commercial opportunities for Australian education providers to offer innovative and more accessible education to Indian students, ” he added.”
Furthermore, Albanese also announced a new scholarship namely ‘Maitri scholarship’ for Indian students to study in Australia for up to four years. “The scholarships are part of the wider Maitri programme that seeks to boost cultural, educational and community ties between Australia and India,” he said. Additionally, The University of Wollongong also plans to establish a campus at GIFT City, and that Australia is pleased to have a large number of foreign students returning this year, as the country always welcomes them, according to Albanese.
He discussed the 2018 sister-city agreement between Gujarat and New South Wales in Australia, and highlighted that people-to-people connections between Gujarat and Australia have existed for a significant period. “But not everyone has the means or abilities to pack up their lives and study in another country. There might be financial constraints or family commitment, so a variety of reasons that you want to or need to stay close to home,” Albanese said.
With inputs from PTI.