The first high-level India-France Knowledge Summit, 2018 was jointly organised yesterday
Underlining the strong and long-standing relationship between France and India, Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar termed as "historic" the inking of an MoU on "mutual recognition of educational qualifications" between the two countries.
"It is historic for the first time, a government to government MoU has been signed to mutually recognize academic qualifications. It will help the student community. There used to be only bilateral arrangements between institutions to institutions," he said while speaking at the Knowledge Summit at Pravasi Bharatiya Bhawan, New Delhi in the presence of French Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation Mrs Frederique Vidal.
"I hope more and more countries, like France, will come forward for mutual recognition of academic qualifications so that the mobility of students and professionals improves," MrJavadekar added.
The first high-level India-France Knowledge Summit, 2018 was jointly organised yesterday by French Institute in India, along with Ministry of Higher Education, Research & Innovation (MESRI), France and co-Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.
Pointing that more than 5000 Indian students are studying in France and about 1500 French Students in India, the Minister said the HRD Ministry would launch "Study in India" initiative to attract more and more students from other countries to India.
Apart from MoU on Mutual Recognition of Academic Qualifications between India and France, 15 MoUs between various institutions of India and France in the areas of Higher Education, Research, Innovation, Faculty exchange, Scientific Cooperation were exchanged.
Mrs. Frederique Vidal, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Government of France said that the knowledge summit is an essential step toward the goal set by the French Government to attract 10,000 students to France by 2020.
Last year, over 5000 Indian students chose France as a study destination, showing a 60% increase from the previous year.
The summit explored seven priority sectors for collaboration: space and aeronautics, mathematics and information technology, agronomy and food processing, eco-energy, natural resources and bioactive compounds, architecture and urban planning and urban mobility.
In a major expansion of strategic ties,
India and France yesterday inked 14 pacts in key areas of defence, security, nuclear energy and protection of classified information besides resolving to deepen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and step up joint efforts to contain terrorism.
The agreements were signed after extensive talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, including on the changing security dynamics in the Indian Ocean and Pacific.
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