Ahmedabad: British Council, the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural exchange, and the Department of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Gujarat, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen educational and cultural exchange.

The primary objectives of this MoU include, cultivating science research partnerships through British Council-led projects, facilitating educational collaborations and knowledge transfer through transnational partnerships, fostering enhanced mobility for faculty and students, and fortifying the capacity of leaders, faculty, and senior officers within the educational system, with an overall focus on mapping to the NEPs internationalisation agenda.

The MoU with British Council was signed between Director, Commissionerate of Higher Education, PB Pandya and Rashi Jain, Director West India, British Council as part of strategic partnerships being announced by the Government of Gujarat, ahead of upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024.

The agreement will function on three levels: Systemic, Institutional, and Individual. Systemically, it will involve policy dialogues and delegations between India and UK to expand educational and research opportunities between Gujarat and the UK’s higher education sectors. Institutionally, it will include capacity building of International Relations officers, knowledge sharing, guidance on grants, transnational education partnerships between Indian and UK universities, and collaborative learning communities. Individually, efforts will concentrate on leadership development and faculty capacity building through collaborations, and jointly funded mobility/scholarship opportunities.

Minister of State Parliamentary Affairs, Primary, Secondary and Adult Education, Higher Education, Praful Pansheriya, said “With this strategic partnership our aim is to internationalise Gujarat’s higher education institutions, enabling extensive collaboration between India and the UK. This partnership will enrich the skills and confidence of our youth. We are looking forward to forging top-tier partnerships with UK higher education institutions, that will help us reinforce our research and development infrastructure and enable us to deliver a positive impact on the lives of students throughout our state.”

Stephen Hickling, British Deputy High Commissioner to Gujarat and Rajasthan said, “The MoU will drive high-level policy dialogues, aligning priorities for excellence and equitable advancement between the two nations. Together, we aim to enhance student experiences, employability, and build a prosperous socio-economic future for Gujarat, leveraging the strong India-UK partnerships.”

 Rashi Jain, Director West India, British Council said, “Through this MoU and existing collaborations with the state, like the Going Global Partnerships, we will continue to focus on enhancing knowledge transfer, creating mobility opportunities for students and faculty, and facilitating leadership development schemes.”

To facilitate the smooth execution of this MoU, a working group comprising representatives from the Government of Gujarat and the British Council will be constituted, with defined terms of reference mutually agreed upon by both participants. DeshGujarat