AHMEDABAD: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday announced that his country and the Indian government have finalized the `Australia-India Education Qualification Recognition Mechanism.'
Albanese, on a visit to India, was speaking at a programme here to officially announce that Australia's Deakin University would be setting up an international branch campus at GIFT City in Gujarat's Gandhinagar.
"There is a significant development in our bilateral education relations. I am pleased to tell you that we have finalised Australia-India Education Qualification Recognition Mechanism," he said.
"This new mechanism means that if you are an Indian student who is studying or have studied in Australia, your hard-earned degree will be recognised when you return home. Or if you are a member of Australia's very large Indian diaspora -- 500,000 and growing -- you will feel more confident that your Indian qualification will be recognised in Australia," he said.
It is the most comprehensive and ambitious arrangement agreed to by India with any country, Albanese said.
"It paved the way for commercial opportunities for Australian education providers to offer innovative and more accessible education to Indian students. And it provides a solid basis for educational institutions to consider new ways to partner with each other," he said.
"It is a fantastic piece of work that will have real tangible benefits," the visiting prime minister added.
He also announced a new scholarship for Indian students who want to study in Australia. "I am pleased to announce a new scholarship offering -- the Maitri scholarships. This is for Indian students to study in Australia for up to four years. The scholarships are part of the wider Maitri programme that seeks to boost cultural, educational and community ties between Australia and India," Albanese said.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Governor Acharya Devvrat were also present on the occasion.