British Council inks MoU with Government of Maharashtra for Internationalisation of Higher Education

The British Council, UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural exchange, and the Department of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Maharashtra, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen educational and cultural exchange to promote the state's aspirations for knowledge and economic development. This is in line with the ambitions of the Government of Maharashtra and its work to improve opportunities for young people, quality higher education and skills development.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Mr Chandrakant Dada Patil, Hon’ble Minister, Government of Maharashtra, Department of Higher and Technical Education and Alison Barrett MBE, Director India, British Council. Mr. Vikas Chandra Rastogi, IAS, Principal Secretary Higher Education and Rashi Jain, Director West India, British Council signed the MoU.

The agreement will complement the existing partnership between the Government of Maharashtra and British Council India to work together to strengthen skills and quality of higher education in the state. This partnership is aimed to provide the youth with access to high quality education and internationally benchmarked assessments; skills and qualifications; and the exchange of culture, creativity, and ideas.

As per the agreement British Council will lend support towards internationalisation of higher education in the state of Maharashtra, including research and mobility. The agreement has been drafted to enable the state government to create opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration in areas of mutual interest. The two entities will work closely to strengthen Maharashtra’s higher education ecosystem with a focus on activities for capacity building and leadership development and training for faculty, to support the internationalisation agenda, through face-to-face and virtual workshops, training, mentoring and knowledge exchange.

Representatives from the Government of Maharashtra and the British Council will form a working group, to enable the implementation of this partnership.

Mr Chandrakant Dada Patil, Hon’ble Minister, Government of Maharashtra, Department of Higher and Technical Education, said "We want Maharashtra’s higher education institutions to be internationalised and want to create opportunities that will increase collaboration between India and UK, which in turn will help improve skills and confidence of young people in the state. We are looking forward to developing high quality partnerships with UK higher education institutions to create better research and development facilities and we hope to create tangible positive impact in the lives of the students across the state.”

Alison Barrett MBE, Director India, British Council, said, “As British Council we strive to create connections between institutions across India and the UK, by promoting collaboration on shared interests and fields of study which can help us tackle global challenges together. Under this agreement with Maharashtra, we will engage in high level policy dialogues to familiarise policymakers with institutional priorities around levelling up and creating an environment that fosters excellence. Together we aim to improve the students’ experience and employability, and build a better social-economic future for Maharashtra.”

Rashi Jain, Director West India, British Council said, “We are excited to partner with the state of Maharashtra in our shared objective of empowering the higher education faculty and staff with new skills, resources and methodologies for delivering high quality education. By enabling the higher education system, we hope that the new programme will have a cascading effect on the knowledge ambitions and economic growth of Maharashtra. This is a significant initiative in our long-standing relationship with the state and we are committed to working together closely to ensure this exercise translates into a transformative delivery of education across the state, benefitting young students.”