India for common higher education in Commonwealth countries

Updated on: Monday, May 25, 2009

New Delhi: India will press for a common course structure and higher education system among Commonwealth countries when the education ministers of the member states will meet in Kuala Lumpur next month.

India has been advocating having a mechanism under which the 53 member countries, Including Britain, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, will treat as equivalent the degrees awarded by different universities from these nations, a step aimed at facilitating movement of students.

Education ministers from the 53 member states will meet at the Commonwealth Ministers Conference, scheduled on from June 15 to 17.

The framework will specify measures to have a common syllabus, course structure and certification system among these countries, the official said.

India's higher education system is almost in lines of Britain. Similarly, many other countries have followed the British system even as there are certain deviations in a few countries.

India's stand assumes significance as a huge number of students from the country go to Britain, Australia and New Zealand for higher studies.

At present, degree holders from Indian universities are unable to capitalise on their certificates in some of the Commonwealth countries. They have to appear in certain tests for equivalence of certificates.

'Once we have a framework in place, our students will not face any difficulty in any of the Commonwealth countries to encash their certificates for career or job,' the official
said.

At present, India has mutual recognition agreement with a few countries as per which they recognise the qualification of higher education awarded by institutions in each other's country.

India will also highlight its good practices in improving the elementary education and checking drop-out rates at the conference

Kalvimalar

India for common higher education in Commonwealth countries

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