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Thursday, 8 April 2010

The Indian Government Minister credited as the driving force behind India's ground-breaking Right to Education Act has addressed government, industry and education leaders at The University of Western Australia.

Minister of Human Resource Development Mr Kapil Sibal spoke about India's strategic vision and his desire to see skill development based in India where his country would gain expertise in exchange for training higher volumes of qualified people required to meet skills shortfalls.

Minister Sibal highlighted the huge numbers of people in education in India.

"There are 22 million people going to school in India.  The total number of engineering seats alone is 750,000," he said.

Minister Sibal spoke of ‘levels of tolerance', and looking at strategic benefits rather than individual national gains.

"What is it that we can do in the face of global concerns - this I think would be the true elements of a strategic partnership," he said.

UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Alan Robson related UWA's strategic links with India most recently in the areas of agriculture and microelectronics as a two-way partnership.

"We have to be very disciplined and focused in our interactions," Professor Robson said.

India's Right to Education Act came into force on April 1 legalising the right to free and compulsory schooling for all children between the ages of six and 14.

While in Australia Mr Sibal has met with Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith (a UWA graduate) and will also meet Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education Julia Gillard for the annual Australia-India Ministerial Dialogue of Education Cooperation.

Media references

Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716

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