The University of New South Wales, Australia, is set to establish a campus in Bangalore after it received a letter of intent from the University Grants Commission (UGC) on Monday on the sidelines of the third Australia-India Education and Skills Council (AIESC) meeting.
The campus in Bangalore will offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in business, media, computer science and data science, and cyber security, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said at a press conference after the AIESC meeting on Monday.
Australia’s Minister for Education Jason Clare pointed out at the press conference that of the 19 international universities that have been given letters of intent to set up campuses in India, seven are Australian. “That is a sign, or evidence if you need any, of the strength, and the depth, and the seriousness of our relationship, and the trust between our two nations,” he said.
From Australia, La Trobe University, Victoria University, Western Sydney University, and the University of Western Australia have been given letters of intent to set up campuses in India so far. Deakin University and the University of Wollongong have already begun functioning in GIFT city.
Pradhan announced other outcomes of the AIESC meeting on Monday, including collaborations in early childhood care and education and sports curriculum, and opportunities to set up more CBSE-affiliated schools in Australia.
“One important outcome is that there will be collaboration in early childhood care and education between CBSE and the Australian Qualifications Framework in the area of teachers for early childhood education,” Pradha said, adding that there was also an agreement between the National Council for Teacher Education and the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership.
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“We are also exploring the opportunity of setting up a few more CBSE-affiliated schools in Australia, catering to a growing Indian diaspora and demand for the CBSE syllabus in the school system due to STEM education. Nowadays, CBSE is getting traction due to its STEM education in all parts of the globe,” Pradhan said.
He added: “We discussed sports curriculum…we’ve decided to collaborate in the area of sports curriculum from school to higher education. We have a common aspiration – Australia is going to host the 2032 Olympics, and India is pitching for the 2036 Olympics. Prime Minister Modi has a vision for massive capacity building in sports. Australia is a natural partner in these areas.”
AIESC guides partnerships between India and Australia in education, skilling, training, and research. The meeting on Monday involved officials from Australia and India, besides academics and Vice Chancellors.
Collaborations with Australian institutions will also include research projects in areas like artificial intelligence, biodiversity, and smart mobility. Deakin University and IIT Roorkee will collaborate in setting up a Centre of Excellence in Disaster Resilience, while the University of Western Australia, IIM Mumbai, and IIT(ISM) Dhanbad will collaborate in the fields of mining and sustainability.
