US seeks to expand education ties with India

New Delhi, Mar 29 (UNI) The United States has urged the Indian Government to expand the Indo-US education relation between the countries, through two-way exchange of students.

''The US is seeking to expand its education ties with India, a move that would help meet the growing demands of US and Indian businesses for skilled, knowledgeable workers,'' the US Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen P Hughes said here today.

To allow more Indian students to take advantage of education in the US, the Fulbright programme was being upgraded for India, Ms Hughes said, adding that in her meeting with the top Indian officials the matter was been raised.

The US Under Secretary is leading a high-level delegation comprising presidents of institutions such as Johnson and Wales University, University of Washington, Baylor University, North Carolina State University, Kalamazoo College and Oakton Community College.

While addressing a FICCI meeting on 'Public-private Partnership in Higher Education, Ms Hughes said, the US wants to open doors even wider to students from India, and wants more American young people to travel to India to study and learn.

''we want to build on that great tradition and expand partnerships and linkages between our institutions for the benefit of the next generation of Indians and Americans,'' she said.

One of the delegates Ms Eileen B Wilson-Oyelaran, President, Kalamazoo College said, ''Collaboration between faculties of both countries is the first step to strengthen the relationship.'' India is the leading country in the world in sending students to the US for higher education. Last year about 80,000 students out of a total of 1,40,000 students traveling abroad for higher studies were enrolled in the US, said FICCI Secretary General Amit Mitra.

The government of India and universities from the US and India have inaugurated an e-learning collaboration to enhance science and engineering education at Indian universities and to boost the supply of engineers available for coporate and academic research in both countries.

Referring to the visa problems faced by the students, Ms Hughes said the students visa code have being rebounded, ''while our priority is security, meanwhile we also intend entry of Indian students in the US.'' She said the US can offer more than 4,000 institutions of higher learning.

Wide range of opportunities includes community colleges that offer job-related training close to centres of employment, small liberal arts colleges in scenic rural locations, large state universities with knowledge clusters developed around their specialised talent and resources technical schools and institutes and research centres that are acknowledged as global treasures.

UNI