Indo-UK ties reach higher degree
BOTH COUNTRIES TO RECOGNISE EACH OTHER’S EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS AS PART OF ‘IMPACTFUL’ DEAL
BRITISH universities and a leading network of Indian students and professionals have hailed a “landmark” agreement between the UK and India to recognise each other’s higher education qualifications, saying it will enable significantly smoother movement of students between the two countries.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU), which was signed last Thursday (21) as part of the UK-India Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) agreed by prime ministers Boris Johnson and Narendra Modi last year, means UK A-levels and their equivalents, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees will now be recognised in India.
It will also allow Indian students who graduate from British universities to apply for postgraduate qualifications, or embark on government careers that require university qualifications, when they return home.
“This is a landmark, historic agreement which has been many years in the making. Qualifications students receive will be recognised on both sides, making it easier for students to progress in education and move into jobs,” said Vivienne Stern, the chief executive of Universities UK International (UUKi), which represents over 140 UK universities.
“The recognition of the UK masters [degree] is a particularly important development. It means Indian graduates of the UK’s outstanding universities will receive formal recognition of their outstanding achievements and full access to jobs in the public sector in India,” Stern added.
The National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK, which lobbied for the decision, also praised the move.
“This is truly a landmark, longawaited and impactful achievement in UK-India relations,” said the NISAU UK chair, Sanam Arora.
“It will enable significantly smoother movement of students between the two countries and broaden the nature and extent of joint collaborations between individual universities in the two countries. NISAU has been long campaigning for mutual recognition of qualifications and this agreement is, therefore, a most welcome development,” she said.
India is a popular destination for UK students to study abroad as part of the Turing Scheme international education programme.
According to official statistics, in 2020-2021 the UK welcomed 84,555 Indian students to the UK. The new MoU is expected to make UK universities more appealing to Indian applicants, and is likely to provide an economic boost, as the benefit to the UK of welcoming students from beyond the European Union (EU) is estimated to be around £109,000 per person.
“UK universities already have a fantastic reputation around the globe. Now, we are delighted to deliver on our promise to unblock barriers to trade between our two nations and make UK higher education easier to access and more appealing to Indian students,” said Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the UK’s international trade secretary.
The pact is also seen as enhancing the potential for UK nationals to travel to India to study, allowing them more choice and broadening their academic and educational horizons, as well as opening the door for institutions to create courses that can be delivered in both countries.
“This agreement builds on our UK-India partnership and removes barriers so even more of the best and brightest students from India can study here, boosting our economy and enriching our campuses and communities,” said James Cleverly, the UK education secretary.
“It creates more opportunities for UK students to study in India and paves the way for our worldbeating universities to deliver more degree programmes in one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic nations on earth.”
The deal is one of three signed between India and the UK last Thursday implementing the ETP. The others include commitments to create a taskforce to provide opportunities for Indian nurses and nursing associates seeking to train and work in the NHS, and to renew a commitment for mutual recognition of the Seafarers’ Certificate of Competency.
According to the UK Department for International Trade (DIT), trade between the UK and India is worth over £24 billion, and the investment relationship supports over half a million jobs.
It said the government has secured new access under the ETP to India’s market which businesses estimate will unlock approximately £92 million of additional UK exports every year in spirits, oats, pork products, and more.