Indo-US education collaboration gaining ground

WASHINGTON: Indo-US collaboration in the education sector is gradually gaining ground with the two countries identifying eight joint projects worth about $250,000 each and implementation of a series of measures aimed at helping India address its major challenges.


On his maiden trip to the US after becoming Union Minister for Human Resources and Development last October, M M Pallam Raju said 125 faculties and another 100 teachers in India have been identified who would be coming to the US for training.

The two countries have also identified eight joint projects between India and the US under the Obama-Singh initiative with about $250,000 each, the details of which would be announced during the fourth India-US Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi this summer for which the US Secretary of State would travel to India, Raju said.

Yesterday, winding up his two-day trip to Washington, Raju and the accompanying delegation of top Indian officials and academicians, made a trip to the Montgomery Community College.

"We were impressed by the quality of programmes going into the community college when you see the kind of teaching they impart. It was quite an eye opener. We feel that that should be the approach," he told a group of Indian reporters.

Raju met US Education Secretary Arne Duncan during which he discussed issues relating to improvement of school education, teacher educators, assessment of schools and teachers and community participation in school education.

"He (Duncan) was very appreciative of the challenge ahead of us," he said.

Yesterday, Raju also had a separate meeting with Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine, preparing for next month's Higher education dialogue.

The Union Minister also met World Bank Managing Director Mulyani Indrawati, and discussed issues of primary education in India.

Raju said that in higher education the challenges are creating the capacity and shortage of faculty.

Describing his Washington trip as "very very fruitful and engaging," Pallam Raju said that he is looking towards much greater co-operation and collaboration from the US in the education sector of India.