India, UAE Join Hands for Student-Faculty Mobility: Edu Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Signs MoU in Abu Dhabi

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have entered into a tie-up to facilitate student-faculty mobility as Union minister for education Dharmendra Pradhan met his counterpart in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday during his three-day tour to the Middle-Eastern country. The trip is aimed at strengthening the existing educational cooperation between the two nations, said officials in the union education ministry.

According to the Ministry of Education (MoE), Pradhan met UAE education minister Ahmad Al Falasi on Wednesday when they signed an MoU to this effect, among other initiatives. “The visit will be fostering collaboration, participation and synergy in critical areas of mutual interest in the education and the skill domain,” said a statement issued by the ministry.

Pradhan, who is also the minister for skill development, during the meet, said that with the UAE being a global economic hotspot and India being a global talent hotspot, both sides should work together to build a knowledge bridge to “cement their civilisational connect”.

The memorandum aims to strengthen the existing cooperation in the field of educational institutions in both countries, by facilitating student and faculty mobility, joint research programmes, designing courses, organising and participation in conferences, lectures, symposia, courses, scientific and educational exhibitions in areas of mutual interest held in both countries, the ministry said.

According to officials, the new collaboration will also facilitate exchange of information in various fields including — regulations, legal structures and best practices in general and higher education in both countries; framework and policies in general and higher education in order to facilitate mutual recognition of qualifications between both the countries; academic collaboration between institutions in both the countries for offering twinning, joint degree and dual degree programmes; and cooperation in the field of Capacity Development of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) teaching staff.

“Also, the MoU will facilitate creation of a Joint Working Group chaired by a representative of the Ministry of Education from India and UAE. The working group shall meet at least once a year alternately to review the implementation of this memorandum,” it said.

During the visit, Pradhan also visited a coding school. “Visited 42 Abu Dhabi, a coding school with deep focus on encouraging innovation, creativity and peer-to-peer learning through project-based and gamified curriculum. A first-of-its-kind school in the GCC, @42AbuDhabi’s thrust on removing barriers to education for realising the vision of a tech-enabled future is laudatory. Open 24/7 all throughout the year, it provides perfect flexibility to learners to also learn and earn as per their schedules. Flexibility and learning while earning is also a key recommendation of NEP 2020. Incorporating such progressive pathways is a way forward to empower India’s talented youth and workforce,” the minister posted on his official X account.

Besides, the two ministers reviewed the bilateral engagements in education and skill development, particularly the progress on points discussed during their meeting on the sidelines of the education working group held as a part of G20 event hosted by India this September.

“The ministers expressed their commitment to strengthen institutional mechanisms and speed up processes for smooth student and workforce mobility,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, India is all set to open an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Abu Dhabi, which is likely to be launched early next year. The IIT-Abu Dhabi will be a branch of IIT-Delhi. It will be the second international campus for an IIT, with the first one being launched by IIT-Madras in Zanzibar, Africa, which started its first session on October 25.

“The IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi campus marks a significant stride in our efforts to internationalise India’s education. It will open up a plethora of opportunities for leveraging the power of knowledge for mutual prosperity and global well-being,” Pradhan wrote on X.