Australian PM Albanese announces 'ambitious' higher education deal with India; See details

Anthony Albanese's first visit to India as the Australian Prime Minister has opened a gateway of opportunities for Indian students aspiring to study overseas. On Wednesday, Albanese visited Gujarat's Ahmedabad, where he announced a new agreement that would help students gain recognition for their educational degrees in the two countries.

The step aims to shoot up the current 130,000 figure of Indian students pursuing education in Australia. In a conversation with university officials, the Australian PM highlighted that the Australia–India Education Qualifications Recognition Mechanism would be extremely beneficial for students from both countries.

“This new mechanism means that if you’re an Indian student who’s studying – or about to study – in Australia, your hard-earned degree will be recognised when you return home. Or if you’re a member of Australia’s large Indian diaspora, you’ll be able to feel more confident that your Indian qualifications will be recognised in Australia," he said, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

“It is the most comprehensive and ambitious arrangement agreed to by India with any country. It paves the way for commercial opportunities for Australian education providers to offer innovative and more accessible education to Indian students," he added. 

Our educational ties with India are about to get even closer.

We've finalised a deal that means students who study in Australia and India can have more of their qualifications recognised between our two countries. pic.twitter.com/G4x9DC1RvM

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) March 8, 2023

Australia's Deakin University to set up branch in India

According to Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson, over 1.5 million Indians received Australian varsity degrees since the year 2005. “We can build on this for the benefit of both nations,” she said in Ahmedabad. In a bid to boost the intake of students from India, Australia has begun carrying out expansion and investments in the education sector. Deakin University is set to become the first Australian university to establish a branch in India by opening a campus in Gujarat for courses such as  cybersecurity and business analytics. 

“We always welcome students to come and study in Australia, and that will continue to be an important focus for us," Albanese said on Wednesday, adding that the "presence of Australian universities in India opens up new ways for Indian students to obtain an Australian education by bringing Australia a little bit closer."