NEW DELHI, 11 September (BelTA) – Belarus and India prepare a program of joint actions in education, Education Minister Igor Karpenko told reporters, BelTA informs.
“We are working on a program of joint actions in education, and we are planning to sign it in the near future. Probably, by the end of the year. The harmonization of this program is underway,” the minister said.
According to Igor Karpenko, the program will include the training of highly-qualified specialists, joint implementation of scientific projects with universities. “In the future, we should be ready to sign bilateral agreements between concrete universities of Belarus and India,” he said.
The minister said that India has its own projects in higher education, personnel training, scientific research which can be interesting for the Belarusian side. At the same time, it is possible to bolster the export of educational services. It is possible to implement joint projects, and international grants are given for these purposes.
On the whole, the educational cooperation of Belarus and India is increasingly vibrant. In the 2016-2017 academic year, there were 356 fee-paying students from India in Belarusian universities. However, the minister believes that this figure is too small taking into account the size of the Indian population. “We need to step up efforts to raise the export of educational services. Besides, the Indian side is interested in a number of specializations. Today we are trying to expand the range of courses in the English language, and it is very interesting for Indians.” Igor Karpenko said.
During the official visit of the Belarusian president to India the parties will also discuss cooperation in education. A memorandum on the interaction in vocational training is in the pipeline. It is expected that the Republican Institute of Vocational Training will provide assistance in setting up corresponding resource centers for the training of blue-collar workers on the territory of India.
