New Delhi: Ahead of his visit to the US next
week, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday said a number of American
institutes are keen on investing in India and that both
countries will set up a joint council to take forward
bilateral cooperation in education.
Sibal held a meeting with visiting US Under Secretary for
Political Affairs William J Burns and discussed the scope for
collaboration and investment by the American institutes in
India.
The Indo-US Council will comprise industry leaders and
academicians and will work on how to facilitate investment and
collaborations of American institutions with Indian
universities.
"We will set up Indo-US council on education. Burns said
the universities in the US want that the roadmap for their
entry to India be expedited and that they are ready to come.
There is a lot of enthusiasm from private sector, government
and universities in this direction," he said.
Sibal said he will lead a delegation of industry leaders
and university people to the US on October 24. He is scheduled
to visit a number of institutions, including Harvard
University, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and George Washington University.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to visit the US
in November.
Sibal will meet policy makers, Congressmen and Senators
besides academicians and private industry to explore the scope
of collaboration between institutions of both countries and
also invite investment in education in India.
"By the end of my trip something very substantive will
emerge," he said.
The preferred areas of collaboration are distance
education, vocational training, research, skill development,
setting up new universities, private-public-partnership and
faculty exchange.
The Indo-US education council will meet on regular basis
to bring together industry and educational institutions to
fasten the process of investment and collaboration. India has
human resource but it lacks investment. The US is in need of
human resource, he said.
There are a number of private players and universities
from the US which are keen on investing in India, he said
adding, "There are a lot of people here who are keen on
collaborating with the US. So this council will bring together
industry people and academicians to look at opportunities here
and in the US," Sibal said.
He said the government will try to put in place the
Foreign Education Providers Bill soon to help the entry of
foreign universities in India.
The American institutions are keen to be involved in
setting up of the proposed 14 innovative universities here,
Sibal said adding the government is trying to find appropriate
partners for this purpose.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, October 15, 2009, 16:03