Dharmendra Pradhan Meets Singapore PM, Discusses Cooperation In School Education And Research

Pradhan highlighted that India considers Singapore a reliable ally in the realm of cutting-edge technology and entrepreneurship, especially when it comes to fostering deep tech innovations and start-ups.

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Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong convened on Monday to deliberate on enhancing and broadening bilateral collaboration in the realms of school education, vocational education, and research.

In line with an official announcement, the discussions primarily centered around enhancing the alliance by emphasizing three core elements: “Talent, Resources, and Market”.

India considers Singapore a reliable ally in the realm of deep technology, startup culture, and innovation ecosystems, according to Pradhan.

According to the statement, the education minister emphasized that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Singaporean counterpart have established a strong foundation to enhance cooperation between India and Singapore, aiming to broaden it into a holistic partnership that encompasses various key and evolving areas.

Pradhan engaged in discussions with Singapore’s Minister for Education, Chan Chun Sing, earlier today to explore ways of enhancing collaboration in education across different fields.

Pradhan highlighted the importance of the National Education Policy 2020 in promoting the globalization of India’s education sector. The two ministers discussed opportunities for international internship programs, enabling Indian students to acquire hands-on experience in companies based in Singapore.

The statement highlighted discussions on enhancing cultural ties among students from India and Singapore through the potential twinning of schools. Additionally, they explored opportunities for joint research collaboration in various fields such as deep tech, medicine, advanced materials, among others.

The ministers of education also discussed the promotion of academic and research partnerships by establishing twinning programs between schools and universities in each nation.

The statement mentioned that Pradhan emphasized potential collaboration avenues between Singapore’s National Institute of Education and NCERT in fields like curriculum development, pedagogy, and enhancing teacher capacity. Pradhan also invited Minister Chan to visit India and conveyed his dedication to progressing mutual objectives and strengthening educational connections between the two countries.

Pradhan additionally held discussions with Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to explore further collaboration within the India-Singapore Knowledge Partnership.

Tan Eng Chye, the president of the National University of Singapore, was met by him during his visit to the institution.

To enhance academic and research partnerships between NUS and leading Indian higher education institutions, they explored the utilization of complementary strengths to establish knowledge bridges and reinforce collaborations in various academic areas.

The statement highlighted the potential for collaboration between NUS and Indian HEIs in various domains like deep start-ups, healthcare, advanced materials, digitalization, sustainability, and more, as emphasized by Pradhan.

The purpose of the minister’s tour from October 20 to 26, 2024, starting with Singapore and then moving on to Australia, is to enhance cooperation, engagement, and alignment in key educational areas of shared concern.