British Council and TSCHE begin curriculum reform pilot in Telangana higher education institutions

Hyderabad : British Council, the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural exchange, hosted a policy dialogue with key stakeholders from the state of Telangana to discuss the internationalisation of higher education institutions in the state. Over the last few years, the British Council and the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) have been successfully collaborating to mutually benefit their aim for employment ambitions of the youth.

Global Wales, through the British Council, and the state of Telangana, through TSCHE, will begin implementation of initiatives aimed to elevate the standard of education at HEIs in the state – an important step towards achieving the state’s and NEP 2020’s internationalisation agenda. The policy dialogue was followed by an announcement of the next steps on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the state of Telangana and the Welsh Government in November 2020. The MoU facilitates the development of collaborative and mutually beneficial programmes in Telangana and contribute to increased research and social linkages in the field of Higher Education between the two entities.

1. Curriculum reform pilot at Telangana universities

The Universities of Bangor and Aberystwyth from Wales will work in partnership with Osmania and Kakatiya University from the state of Telangana. This will enable Indian universities to enhance their curriculum of Arts and Commerce subjects aligning to industry standards thus enhancing employability of the youth in the state of Telangana.

Over a three year period, the curriculum reform pilot will be extended to over 1,000 colleges positively impacting more than 800,000 learners.

2. Greater student mobility – exclusive Scholarships for Telangana students

British Council and Global Wales – a partnership between Universities Wales, the Welsh Government, British Council Wales, and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) – have established a new scholarship programme exclusively for students from Telangana to study at Welsh universities in 2021.

The programme will offer 16 scholarships worth GBP 5,000 each given to the brightest and best students from Telangana universities to study a PG one year master’s degree at one of the following Universities in Wales – Aberystwyth University, Bangor University, Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Swansea University, University of South Wales, University of Wales Trinity Saint David and Wrexham Glyndwr University.

Each scholarship worth £5000 will contribute towards tuition fees for a one-year postgraduate course at a participating university, for the academic year from September/October 2021-22.

Eligibility criteria and process of applying can be found here www.studyinwales.ac.uk/scholarships

Professor. T. Papi Reddy, Chairman of Telangana State Council of Higher Education, said, “It is our vision for the state of Telangana to be at the vanguard of knowledge and we are certain that our partnership with the Government of Wales will help us realise our goal. The state of Telangana welcomes the new scholarship scheme that complements our own scholarship initiatives for our youth. In the near future, we look forward to improving education and research outcomes, impacting student employability in the state dramatically, through this collaboration with Wales and the continuous efforts of the British Council.”

Janaka Pushpanathan, Director South India, British Council, said, “This is a significant milestone in our decade old relationship with the state of Telangana, and we are committed to working together closely for the internationalisation of higher education in the state. It is an honour to partner with such a progressive government that is committed to the future of its youth. The Arts and Commerce curriculum reform pilot in top universities of the state is bound to create greater opportunities for the educators and learners across the state and we look forward to a seamless implementation. We are also confident that the exclusive Global Wales British Council scholarships for meritorious students of Telangana, will fulfil their ambitions of studying at some of the world’s best universities in Wales.”

Professor Iwan Davies, Chair of Global Wales, added, “On behalf of Global Wales and all the Welsh universities, I am proud of our recent MoU and partnership with TSHEC to deeper collaboration in the field of higher education. I am thrilled that British Council India and Global Wales have established a new postgraduate scholarship programme for students from Telangana to study in Wales in 21/22. Our universities are open, and very much looking forward to welcoming students from Telangana. We look forward to continuing working in partnership with colleagues at the TSCHE and British Council India to build long-lasting links that will be of mutual benefit to both Telangana and Wales.”

About the British Council:

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We work with over 100 countries in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Last year we reached over 80 million people directly and 791 million people overall, including online, broadcasts and publications. We make a positive contribution to the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive a 15 per cent core funding grant from the UK government. britishcouncil.org