Pradhan raises issue of return of Indian students with Australian counterpart

Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday raised the issue of the return of Indian students to Australian university campuses during a virtual interaction with his Australian counterpart Alan Tudge. A ban on the entry of international students holding temporary visas for the last 18 months, following the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, has prevented several Indian students from joining the universities down under.

During the virtual interaction, both the ministers also agreed to strengthen India-Australia partnership in higher education. “Productive discussions with HE @AlanTudgeMP, Australian Min. for Education & Youth. We agreed to strengthen the growing Australia-India partnership in higher education, especially in two-way student mobility, teacher exchanges, applied research and other areas of mutual priority,” Pradhan said in a tweet.

Pradhan noted that India’s National Education Policy, 2020 will be “instrumental” in channelising the aspiration and future needs of our youth and in making India more “relevant” in the global arena. “The education and skills spectrum has a significant potential for further cooperation between India and Australia,” he said.

Pradhan said that Tudge shared details on Australia’s preparation for the return of students. “HE @AlanTudgeMP also elaborated on Australia’s preparation,including a student’s arrival pilot for the return of International and Indian students to Australia. Both India and Australia are committed to support Australia-bound Indian students at every stage,” the minister said.

According to a report released by the Council of International Education in Australia in 2019, more than one lakh Indian students were studying in higher education institutions there.