Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) meeting concluded in New Delhi

Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) annual meeting concluded in New Delhi on 24 August 2015. This was the third annual meeting of the AIEC.

The meeting was chaired by Union Minister of Human Resource Development Smriti Zubin Irani and Australia’s Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne.

Main Outcomes of the meeting
• India and Australia agreed to extend the Australia-India BRIDGE school partnerships project to include Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs). BRIDGE – Building Regional Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement – is currently confined to private schools only.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of education, training and research was inked
• The two nations agreed for a total joint financial commitment of up to 1 million Australian dollars for various activities under Educational Cooperation
• Both the countries issued a Joint Communiqué commending the significant progress made in the areas of skills, higher education and research among others and welcomed the extension of collaborative activity to include engagement in the schools sector.
• The communiqué also emphasized that the Global Initiative for Academic Networks (GIAN), launched by India, would enable interaction between the Indian and Australian academicians to mutual benefit.

Besides, Australian Minister Christopher Pyne also announced former cricketer Adam Gilchrist as the Australia-India Education Ambassador. He will help project the quality of Australian education and strengthen the bilateral education, training and research relationships.

About Australia-India Education Council (AIEC)
The AIEC is a bi-national body established in 2011 as a commitment by the Education Ministers of India and Australia to guide the strategic direction of the education, training and research partnership between the two countries. The AIEC, which is co-chaired by Education Ministers on both sides, consists of academia, industry and government and meets in conjunction with the annual Australia-India Ministerial Dialogue on Education Cooperation.

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