UK Proposes to Sign a Mutual Recognition of Qualifications Agreement with India
- With the increasing number of students studying in the UK, its government is planning to sign an agreement that mutually recognizes the qualifications offered.
- Discussions in this regard will be convened during the Bilateral Summit next week.
Around 14,000 Indian students are pursuing masters and other advanced degrees in the United Kingdom following which the UK government is planning to sign an agreement of mutual recognition of qualifications with India similar to the pact that has been signed between India and France.
According to Dominic Asquith, UK High Commissioner to India stated that the UK asking for an agreement is unusual in itself as Indians value British educational degrees way higher. PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to travel to the UK next week for a bilateral summit and CHOGM meet where the agreement will be discussed.
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He also said that Indian education system does not recognize a one-year masters degree which is provided by most of the British universities because India follows a two-year masters programme. The practice makes it difficult for Indian students to take up doctorate or research programs in India after completing the masters in the UK.
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Discussions regarding the agreement are going on and it will be great if they could replicate something similar to India- France agreement. As per the records, there has been an increase of 27% in Indian students studying in the UK. The number of students choosing to study in the UK is on the rise because of the global recognition of their universities and exposure they provide to a student.
Also, Indian students are at the top when it comes to the work visas issued by the British government. Apart from this, the main agenda of the bilateral summit is the technology partnership. This will provide them with an opportunity to collaborate for ventures in technology, infrastructure, design etc.