The United States commerce department is leading an education trade mission to Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi to identify and promote opportunities for collaboration between Indian and American institutes of higher education.
The delegation, which will be in India during September 12-16, includes 21 American higher education institutions (HEIs) from 15 states. Three education technology and service providers are part of the delegation to bring their world-class capabilities to India, the US embassy said in a statement on Monday.
Education is one of the key pillars of India-US cooperation, and US missions in India have issued 82,000 student visas so far in 2022, higher than in any previous year. Indian students received more US student visas than any other country.
“The announcement of India’s National Education Policy in 2020 outlined an aggressive plan to revamp and expand India’s higher education system, including expansion of research, experiential learning, and internationalisation of curricula. US HEIs bring a wealth of experience and best practices in these areas to support India in achieving its education goals,” the statement said.
Referring to the education trade mission, US chargé d’affaires Patricia Lacina said, “This trade mission will explore new partnerships in education and will further strengthen the strong and growing higher education ties between the US and India.”
The visit will provide members of the delegation opportunities to hold specialised meetings with Indian institutions of higher learning, student recruiting agents and other stakeholders to hear directly from Indian educators and students.
There will be in-person student fairs in Mumbai on September 12 and in New Delhi on September 15.
The delegation will meet state and central government leaders, education regulators and business executives to hear their perspectives on how US educational institutions can partner with Indian organisations to boost India’s economy.