Australia Intends to Enhance Education Ties with India

Australian Foreign Minister said that they are looking forward to enhance the cooperation between India and Australia in the field of education.

Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop is on a four-day visit to India, stressed that India is the second largest source country of students who wish to study overseas, while addressing a gathering of students at St. Stephen’s College, and told they are looking forward to enhance the cooperation between India and Australia in the field of education to facilitate more student-exchange programmes.

The Australian minister also briefed students about the ‘New Colombo Plan’ that was initiated in 1950 and students had visited universities in Australia to live and earn and then return to the home country, taking back a rich experience, which supports Australian undergraduates to study and undertake internships in the Indo-Pacific region.

She informed that the number of Indian students studying in Australia is more than the number of Australian students studying in India. They want to work on it, by providing grants to students to pursue their higher studies in India.

In his visit in September 2014, Australian premier Tony Abbott launched The New Colombo Plan to encourage two-way flow of students in the region.

The new plan involves a scholarship programme for study of up to one year and internships or mentorships, and a flexible mobility grants programme for short- and long-term courses, internships, mentorships, practicums (practical section of a course of study) and research.

To extend mutual support to each other in the academic field a letter of intent was signed between University of Melbourne and St. Stephen’s College.

St. Stephen’s College Principal Valson Thampu said that they signed a letter of intent. But what kind of cooperation it will be is yet to be worked out as Delhi University doesn’t have a policy yet on transfer of credits.