Zim, India strengthen academic ties

ZIMBABWE and India continue to strengthen academic relations with universities from the two countries increasing collaborations to improve the quality of education.

According to academic Dr Tendai Padenga, who is the first Zimbabwean and second African to be conferred the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Alumni Award 2019, many Zimbabweans have benefited from the Asian country’s deliberate academic policy to promote education among foreigners.

“The passionate emphasis given to higher education by both countries, the various broad and dynamic platforms of co-operation constantly made available as and when the need arose and the new education policy announced in India will surely provide the much needed ambient environment of a fresh thrust in deepening and widening our dimensions of co-operation,” he said.

“The Indian government offers close to 210 short training programmes for middle-level public service employees through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme annually

“From 2010 to date, HIT (Harare Institute of Technology) has signed 16 MoUs (Memoranda of Understandings) with reputable universities in India and many more have been duly signed between universities in India and universities in Zimbabwe.

Some of the graduates from Zimbabwe have maintained outstanding relations with their alma mater in India and impressive scientific, engineering and technological journals have been initiated.

Dr Padenga said there have been numerous visits and correspondence between officials in the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education Science and Technology Development in Zimbabwe and their counterparts in India.

Such visits opened more doors for academic exchange pursuits between the two countries. The Indian Government, through ICCR, provides up to 20 scholarships annually to Zimbabwean students for studies at universities in India.