Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan holds discussion with Australian counterpart

Union Minister for Education and Skill Development Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday held a virtual meeting with Australian counterpart Alan Tudge to strengthen ties in the field of higher education.

Both countries pledged to lay emphasis on two-way student mobility, teacher exchanges, applied research and other areas of mutual priority.

During the discussion, the Union Minister also raised the issue of the return of Indian students studying in Australia.

Meanwhile, the Australian Minister also briefed him on the steps being taken by the Australian government to ease the return of Indian students to Australia. Pradhan along with his Australian counterpart also laid emphasis on both countries' commitment to supporting Australia-bound students at every stage.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took up problems faced by Indian students in Australia with Foreign Minister Marise Payne and urged that the difficulty faced by students due to travel restrictions be sympathetically addressed as soon as possible.

The Indian Minister also reaffirmed that the National Education Policy, 2020 will be instrumental in realizing the aspirations and future needs of our youth and in making India a global knowledge hub.

"The education and skills spectrum has a significant potential for further co-operation between India and Australia", he further added.

Talking to the media after the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with Australia, Jaishankar said he specifically took up with minister Payne the problems faced by the Indian students in Australia and those wishing to go to Australia as well as the Indian origin community that is there.

"I urge that difficulty faced by students due to travel restrictions be sympathetically addressed as soon as possible," he said.

Payne said there is a shared desire to see that travel resumes between the two countries as soon as it is safe to do so.

"I look forward to being one of the people at the airport to welcome the first arrivals of Indian students coming back to Australia," she said.

"There are over 60,000 Indian students in Australia. But I do definitely understand the desire that those students and their families who are not able to be there have for the on-campus experience and in-country life," she added.

(ANI)