India, Africa can empower youth through quality edu & skill development: MoS Muraleedharan

The Minister of State for External Affairs of India, V Muraleedharan has underlined the guiding principle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sharing India's digital revolution expertise to assist Africa's development and growth as well as to expand digital literacy. Muraleedharan noted that India is assisting African nations in bridging the digital gap, adding that both the nations together can empower their youth through quality education and skill development.

On Thursday, the MoS spoke virtually at the 2nd edition of the India-Africa Higher Education and Skill Development Summit, stating that imparting high-quality higher education with appropriate skills linked with market demands has remained one of the most pressing concerns nowadays. In a tweet, Muraleedharan termed the participation by the ministers from several African countries as testament to friendship & increasing cooperation in education between the two countries. 

According to the MEA's statement, the MoS further stated that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been committed to ensuring inclusive and fair quality education and promoting lifelong educational opportunities for all which have been targeted to achieve by 2030. He went on to say that to fulfill this aim, India has over 55,000 educational institutions that provide higher education to the country's aspiring youth.  

“Government of India launched the New National Education Policy in July 2020 that focuses on skills needed by the youth of 21st century India," he said while emphasising on the government's attempt to foster skill development in India. Through the "Skill India initiative", he said a new ministry was formed to teach more than 400 million Indians in various industry-related vocations.  

Relationship between India and Africa

Highlighting the ties between India and Africa, Muraleedharan  stated that many present as well as former African Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Vice Presidents had attended educational or training institutes in India. He further commented that vast numbers of public officials, teachers, business people, and physicians have been taught or received degrees in India as a result of the nation’s capacity-building programs.  

During the previous three years, over 23,000 students have registered in Indian institutions for different short-term, bachelor, postgraduate, and Ph.D. courses. Indian academicians have benefited students from Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mauritius, as well as Zambia. He also talked about India's "Study in India" initiative to increase the number of foreign students coming to the country. 

Muraleedharan informed that this initiative combines several scholarships and self-financing schemes to encourage students from the partner nations, including Africa. Asserting that India is assisting African nations in closing the digital gap, he said that the Pan Africa e-Network, which was created at the continental level in Africa with an aim to use ICT for tele-education and telemedicine to leverage the socio-economic potential of ICT. 

Over the course of five years,he said the Pan Africa e-Network initiative seeks to give at least 15000 free education/scholarships to African students for certificate, diploma, undergraduate, and postgraduate degrees in various fields. Six Indian institutions have adopted the initiative as partner universities and are delivering tele-education, he concluded.  

(Image: Twitter/ @MOS_MEA)