AUSTRALIA TO LOOK INTO ITS UNREGISTERED
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OPERATING FROM INDIA
Australia has
agreed to look into its unregistered educational institutions
operating from India. These institutions run by elements from
Australia in connivance with elements in India have been a source
of irritant and an hurdle in the way of better educational collaboration
between the two sides.
A total of 40 Australian
Educational Institutions are reportedly operating in India and
out of these only 26 are registered with the Department of Education,
Training and Youth Affairs of Australia. The remaining 14 are
not registered and students who go through them, face problems
in Australia and put India also in difficulty, as the degrees
given by them are neither recognised by Australia nor by India.
Issues relating to
these came up for discussion here yesterday, at delegation level
talks headed by the Minister for Human Resource Development and
Science & Technology, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi and the Australian
Minister for Education, Science and Training, Dr. Brendan Nelson.
Dr. Joshi told him that there has to be a joint mechanism to check
this as well as a well-oiled system of recruitment. While agreeing
to Dr. Joshi’s suggestion, the Australian Minister also accepted
India’s proposal of mutual exchange of students to promote better
educational activities. Dr. Nelson also agreed to restore the
award of 30 Australian government scholarships to India in post-graduate
and Doctoral studies in various disciplines.
The two Ministers
later signed an exchange programme on cooperation in education
and training. Under the agreement the two sides will strive to
develop contacts between educational institutions in the two countries;
organise joint research programmes; exchange scholars, teachers,
experts and students; set up educational/training institutions
of excellence in technical, vocational and higher education, provision
of scholarships for education in institutions of higher learning
as well as examining the possibility of mutual recognition of
educational qualifications.
