NEW DELHI : Dr Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State for Education, Govt of India today said that India is expected to be the fastest growing economy touching a GDP of US$ 10 trillion by 2030 and one of the youngest nations in the world with a median age of 32. “Projections show that India would require a gross incremental workforce of 250 million by 2030. The government is committed to transforming India into a global education hub and attracting international students. Under the ‘Study in India’ program, the government proposes to attract international students from 35 focus countries,” he added.

Addressing the ‘17th FICCI Higher Education Summit 2022’ on the theme ‘Global Destination for Higher Education: Advantage INDIA’, Dr Sarkar said that in the last few years, India has firmly established itself on the global radar, with countries across the world aiming for a strong and sustained presence here. “Fundamentals of the Indian economy are strong and stable, and we are well on the path to development,” he added.

Dr Sarkar further mentioned that his ministry is working with the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship to develop a comprehensive framework for Apprenticeship programs that will provide hands-on training to the graduates and diploma holders. “With the serious intent of the government and support from the private sector, we shall be able to successfully deliver on the challenges that lie ahead of us and steer the country towards greater heights and success,” he asserted.

The Minister urged industry and academia to create a lot of opportunities for common people in the field of education, skill development, and entrepreneurship so that it contributes towards to the vision of becoming Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Speaking on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, he added that the policy has laid down emphasis on creating a multidisciplinary education with an underlying focus on promoting liberal education across undergraduates. He also stated that courses and programs in subjects, such as Indology, Indian languages, AYUSH systems of medicine, yoga, arts, music, history, culture, etc., will be fostered to attain this goal of global quality standards, attract greater numbers of international students, and achieve the goal of ‘internationalization at home’.

“An International Students Office at each Higher Educational Institute hosting foreign students is being set up to coordinate all matters relating to welcoming and supporting students arriving from abroad,” added Dr Sarkar.

The Minister stated that research and teaching collaborations and faculty & student exchanges with high-quality foreign institutions will be facilitated, and relevant mutually beneficial MoUs with foreign countries will be facilitated more and more. “India is among the highest contributors to students wanting to study in other countries and is a famous destination for students from SAARC, Central Asian countries & Africa. As satellite campuses are growing and with the NEP, international institutions will make India their home while prestigious Indian institutions are looking to set up off-shore campuses. All of this shows that education has become more internationalized and the demand for quality education goes beyond geography,” stated Dr Sarkar.

Mr Sanjiv Mehta, President, FICCI and CEO & MD, Hindustan Unilever Limited said that in the era of knowledge economy, the differentiator is going to be the talent and the way we use the knowledge. India has immense opportunities, and this is not only going to be India’s decade but it will be a decade and beyond, he added.

Mr Sumit Joshi, Vice Chairman and MD- South Asia for Signify Innovations India said that India is the preferred destination for education in the world.

Dr Vidya Yeravdekar, Chair, FICCI Higher Education Committee and Pro Chancellor, Symbiosis International University said that education has come a long way in the last 75 years and now we are discussing the internationalization of quality and benchmarking in the education sector. Our Indian universities would like to contribute to the capacity building of students coming from foreign countries.

Mr Ravi Panchanadan, Co-Chair, FICCI Higher Education Committee & MD & CEO, Manipal Global Education Services said that there is a need for the industry, academia, and government to come together to achieve the goal that we set for our education sector.

FICCI-EY report – Higher Education in India: Vision 2047’ was released during the event.