Canberra, Oct 23: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met his Australian counterpart Jason Clare on Wednesday and held discussions on issues of shared priorities, including early childhood care, teacher capacity building, and the potential for school twinning initiatives.

During the meeting, Pradhan emphasised that cooperation in education is the fulcrum of the India-Australia relationship, Australia's Ministry of Education said in a statement.
Pradhan stated that the main objective is to enhance India's education system into a competency-based framework, focusing on skills-based education as outlined in India's National Education Policy (NEP).

The two leaders held discussions regarding shared priorities in early childhood care, the capacity building of teachers, and the potential for school twinning initiatives.

Building on the strong institutional linkages between Indian and Australian higher education institutions, they agreed to further strengthen the partnership in critical and emerging technologies, the statement added.

The two leaders explored the possibility of establishing branch campuses of Australian universities in India.

Dharmendra Pradhan also delivered the plenary at the Australian International Education Conference and spoke about how NEP 2020 has transformed India's learning landscape into a powerhouse of possibilities, the enduring India-Australia ties and the remarkable strides made in education cooperation powered by NEP 2020.

Taking to his post on X, Pradhan posted, "The establishment of Australian university campuses in India is just the beginning--there's much more that can be accomplished. Together, we can advance knowledge, leverage tech for global challenges, and create endless opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship for our students."

"As a 'Vishwa-Bandhu', India is committed to being a trusted partner in human-centric development. Let's build and nurture global citizens and shape a brighter future for the next generation," the post read.

Australian Minister for Education, Jason Clare, also gifted Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan with a jersey with the name 'Pradhan' and jersey number 20.

Jason Clare posted a video on his X showing Dharmendra Pradhan with the jersey. He captioned the video 'Mateship and Maitri!'
Earlier on October 21, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, met with the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, and discussed on enhancing bilateral cooperation in school education, vocational training, and research.

The discussions focused on strengthening the partnership through three key pillars--'Talent, Resource and Market.'

Pradhan emphasised that India views Singapore as a trusted knowledge partner, particularly in advancing deep tech, startups, and innovation ecosystems.

Sharing a post on X, Pradhan wrote, "Called-on PM of Singapore, HE @LawrenceWongST. Had meaningful conversations on elevating and expanding our bilateral cooperation in school education, vocational education and research."

"Talent, Resource & Market -- are the three broad pillars of our vibrant partnership. India looks at Singapore as a trusted knowledge partner in furthering mutual priorities, particularly in further invigorating deep tech, start-up and innovation ecosystems," the post added.

The education minister further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Singaporean counterpart have unveiled a framework to elevate India-Singapore cooperation into a robust partnership. (ANI)

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