The UK government must be “more ambitious” and encourage stronger university ties with India, said the UK exports minister, as the two countries undergo trade negotiations.
As well as removing trade barriers, the government should “encourage more links between UK and Indian universities” as it increasingly looks to India to drive its economic growth, Gareth Thomas, minister for services, small businesses and exports, told a conference.
“The relationship is changing, India’s economy is growing so fast, and it’s now very much a country that Britain is looking at to drive output, so I think we’ll see more and more Brits heading to India to live and work and study going forward,” said Thomas.
“Innovation, new ideas and research happen at universities,” said Thomas: “It is early days for fruitful partnerships, and we need to give these a push in government.”
Speaking at the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) conference on February 13, Thomas’s comments come at a time of burgeoning interest in India as a study destination, with over 800 attendees at this year’s conference making it the largest-ever gathering of the India-UK higher education sector.
In December, the University of Southampton announced its plans to open a branch campus near Delhi later this year, the first in a slew of UK institutions exploring TNE expansion in India.
On top of this “very significant” move in Delhi, Thomas said that three UK universities were exploring opportunities in India’s western Gujarat region, with conference speakers highlighting the importance of scaling impact beyond Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
Elsewhere, delegates heard about the India’s immense growth potential, where 40 million more higher education places are needed to achieve 50% gross enrolment rate in the next decade.
As India and the UK undergo trade negotiations, Thomas said he hoped a new trade deal would bring down barriers and boost the countries’ £42bn trade relationship, which, “seems rather small, given the pace of India’s economic development”.
“The investment we make in our young people, wherever they are and whoever they are, is an investment in the future,” declared Seema Malhotra, parliamentary under-secretary of state for migration and citizenship.
“One of the biggest drivers of growth is the investment in human talent.”
“As a minister in the Labour government, I am proud to be working with Gareth Thomas and all of our colleagues across the government to say that what we want to see, and the ambition we deliver, here at home in the UK is part of a shared ambition for how we deliver partnership, trade, prosperity, and education across the world,” added Malhotra.
Meanwhile, Indian institutions are making strides in the UK, with a delegation of leading Indian vice-chancellors exploring the potential for reciprocal university partnerships in research and academia.
“When we say partnerships, we mean mutually beneficial partnerships with a shared vision,” Kuldeep Dagar, joint secretary of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), told The PIE News.
“It should not be a recruiting model, but both universities should take shared responsibility for the students right from the beginning until graduation,” added Dagar.
“The education system of the United Kingdom is closest to our system,” said Shambhu Nath Singh, vice chancellor of Tezpur University, who travelled to the UK to explore “meaningful collaborations” in areas of science, technology and management.
Dagar explained the association’s two-pronged internationalisation strategy in line with the NEP, leading a delegation of Indian universities to South Asian countries such as Vietnam and Nepal, where India attracts many of its international students from.
At the same time, the institutions are exploring “equitable academic partnerships” across England, Scotland, Ireland and Spain.
To promote India as a global study destination, AIU has developed an India Immersion Program, inviting international students on short-term trips to experience Indian industry and the startup ecosystem, tour universities, and take part in yoga classes and spiritual activities.
“It’s time to learn from India and with India,” said British Council India director, Alison Barrett, highlighting the country’s burgeoning youth population and unmatched entrepreneurialism, making now the crucial time for collaboration.
“At the moment, everybody is looking at India. The whole world is watching India with the incredible work being done to strengthen the relationships,” said Barrett at NISAU’s parliamentary reception the previous evening.
The event highlighted the significant contributions of the Indian community to the UK’s academic and professional landscapes, and emphasised the importance of international collaborations in education.
Guests of the reception also heard from former MP Virendra Sharma, echoing the importance of the young generation to strengthen UK-India relations, of which education was at the “forefront”, he said.