Debra Hinds, Arden University’s Pro Vice Chancellor International, was recently selected to be one of a number of delegates representing the British university sector in India.
Travelling firstly to Delhi, India, Debra met with representatives from Indian institutions to discuss potential partnerships and build links in the country. Arden was one of 27 institutions chosen from 54 applications, and selected to be part of the largest higher education delegation the UK government has taken to any country.
The first conference, held at the British Council’s offices in New Delhi, was organised to tie in with a transnational education trade mission organised by the UK government’s Department for Business and Trade. The Indian government told UK universities participating in the trade mission that its recent regulatory changes has created a “major platform for TNE collaboration between countries”.
Further opening up the country for international education, India has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the UK to mutually recognise one another’s qualifications, the details of which are currently undergoing negotiations.
Following the conference, Debra was also one of a number of delegates who spent a day at GIFT city, an education and financial free zone in Ahmedabad India, where she was able to discuss the potential of international branch campus and infrastructure service providers for UK universities.
The final days of the mission were spent in Mumbai where the delegation was again hosted by the British Council and the Government of Maharastra at the University of Mumbai, where definitions of dual award and twinning were discussed as well as an opportunity for UK and Indian universities to meet and explore potential for collaboration. An afternoon meeting with Tata Institue of Social Sciences was followed by a networking meeting with Indian businesses at the residence of and hosted by the British Deputy High Commissioner in Mumbai
‘The recent development within India’s approach to Higher Education has transformed it into an area of great potential,’ said Debra.
‘The combination of legislative and regulatory changes, increased investment, and an internationalist outlook has demonstrated the potential to remove a host of barriers holding back a hotbed of ambitious Indian students seeking UK education with the need to travel to the UK. We hope to be able to work more collaboratively in the region to help open up these opportunities.’
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