The strengthening of the bilateral framework has impacted the very approach towards education positively, shifting from a purely transactional one to a robust collaborative approach, writes Amit Dasgupta.
The unprecedented pace at which the depth and intensity in India-Australia relations has escalated, in less than a decade, has been welcomed in both countries because of the opportunities it has opened in diverse fields, including international education and research.
Today, Australia has emerged as among the preferred higher education destinations for Indian students for multiple reasons. Barely a fortnight ago, two Australian universities jumped in QS global rankings from top 50 to top 20. Coupled with the quality of education and consequent high employability quotient, along with the Australian government’s work-visa regulations, have made Australia an attractive destination. According to data, as of July 2022, there were 96,000 Indian students pursuing higher education studies in Australia. This is estimated to grow rapidly, including in the skilling sector.
The strengthening of the bilateral framework has impacted the very approach towards education positively, shifting from a purely transactional one to a robust collaborative approach. The growth in student numbers, while important, because of the contribution it makes to human resources and cultural diversity in Australia, is no longer the sole focus. This is principally because a steady and sustainable student pipeline has already been established.
Mutual bilateral aspirations
The remarkable rewiring in thinking is driven by a mutual bilateral aspiration to address strategic concerns, and to recognise the role higher educational institutions can effectively play in transforming lives and the future for the better. What this envisages is the co-opting of universities as a legitimate and necessary stakeholder in addressing national, regional, and global challenges.
Consider a few possibilities. Prime Minister Modi’s recent visit to Papua and New Guinea, and earlier visit to Fiji, highlighted multiple challenges that the small Pacific Island Countries face from global warming to development, such as, education, health, and social welfare. A joint outreach in these sectors by the two governments would be critical to our strategic national interests, in the context of the Indo Pacific strategy. Geographical proximity of Australia to these island countries adds strategic value to a collaborative approach that taps into the proven expertise of Australian universities.
Additionally, several of India’s own domestic initiatives and aspirations would benefit by tapping into research in Australian universities, such as, on solar energy, cyber security and critical technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, smart transport, oncology, optometry, Quantum Computing, to name a few.
Education for the future
Appreciating this, Prime Minister Modi met with Australian academics during his recent visit to Sydney. His objective was to not only look at the future of education but education for the future. For education to be relevant, it needs to constantly anticipate the future and prepare for it. This clearly suggests that education is not a static process but a continuously evolving one. The primary function of research, then, is to address present challenges and develop robust scenarios, systems, and risk analysis data for future and likely challenges and, more importantly, how they might be mitigated.
In earlier years, education, which is a social construct, was seen as limited to serving the interests of the society to which it belongs. It catered, in other words, to national requirements. But, as the world got increasingly globalised, national challenges spilled over and became global challenges, such as, climate change, cancer and other health issues, air and water pollution, for instance. It was only through a collaborative approach that they could be tackled, as the fight against the recent pandemic so clearly demonstrated.
Global responsibility is, now, a defining characteristic of not only international relations but also of education and research. It is in this context that the importance Canberra and New Delhi have accorded to international education gains strategic significance. It may well emerge as the driving spirit because of the impact it can have across multiple verticals in the bilateral relationship.
