Government of Karnataka and British Council partner to strengthen Education and Research exchange
Bengaluru: The British Council along with the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka, Mr. B.S. Yediyurappa, and the Deputy Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka, Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further bilateral cooperation in higher education between the State of Karnataka and the UK.
The MoU will facilitate collaborative and mutually beneficial programmes in Karnataka and contribute to increased research and social linkages in the field of Higher Education between the two entities.
The MoU between British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, and KSCHE, the apex body for promoting academic excellence in higher education in the State, is aimed at deeper collaboration between the Karnataka and the UK to achieve the outcomes envisioned through the New Education Policy of the Government of India.
Student mobility and faculty exchange across higher education institutions (HEIs) in Karnataka and the UK is a key priority of the MoU to enhance research and support internationalisation of HEIs. The two entities will work closely to strengthen Karnataka’s higher education academic landscape through systemic initiatives such as leadership development for faculty and, education and research partnerships between institutions of the state and the UK. British Council will also deliver a host of programmes aimed at improving English proficiency of students, thereby creating greater employability opportunities for them.
Dr. Ashwath Narayan C N, Deputy Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka, said, “India is poised for big change in education. NEP is serving as a transformation opportunity. Karnataka state is in the forefront of implementation of NEP. Collaboration with UK HEIs through British Council is happening at an opportune time. Planned initiatives through this collaboration will immensely benefit the stakeholders of higher education.”
Barbara Wickham OBE, Director India, British Council, said, “We are delighted to work with the honourable Government of Karnataka, to strengthen education and innovation exchange between the state and the UK. This is a further step in realising our mutual vision of a deep, strong India-UK education relationship while supporting the knowledge ambitions laid out in India’s National Education Policy 2020. Through this MoU, we look forward to creating more education and employment opportunities for aspiring students of Karnataka as well as supporting the state’s vision for stronger higher education systems.”
Janaka Pushpanathan, Director South India, British Council said, “We are delighted to work closely with the KSCHE towards achieving the ambitious goals of the State of Karnataka for its students and educators. Employability and upskilling is a focus area for governments across the world and we are confident that the co-developed programmes as part of the MoU will help drive the desired results for both Karnataka and the UK in these areas. Students and researchers from South India, especially Karnataka, value the UK higher education sector and we expect the engagement to go up as part of the MoU.”