Dharmendra Pradhan strengthens India-Singapore ties, sets stage for educational collaborations and internships

Singapore :21/10/24: Union Minister for Education, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan met the Prime Minister of Singapore, H.E. Lawrence Wong today.

The Ministers had meaningful conversations on elevating and expanding the bilateral cooperation in school education, vocational education, and research, between the two nations. The discussions focused on strengthening the partnership through three key pillars—‘Talent, Resource & Market.’Shri Pradhan emphasized that India views Singapore as a trusted knowledge partner, particularly in advancing deep tech, startups, and innovation ecosystems.

Shri Pradhan also highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Mr. Wong have outlined a robust framework to elevate India-Singapore cooperation into a comprehensive partnership, including collaboration in critical and emerging sectors.

Earlier in the day, Shri Pradhan met his counterpart, Singapore’s Minister for Education, Mr. Chan Chun Sing, to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation across various areas of education. Shri Pradhan emphasized the significance of the National Education Policy 2020 in facilitating the internationalization of India’s education system. The two ministers explored avenues for overseas internship programs, allowing Indian students to gain practical experience in Singaporean companies.

To further strengthen cultural connect between students of both countries the possibility of twinning of schools in India and Singapore was discussed. Joint Research collaboration in areas of mutual interest like deep tech, medicine, advance materials, etc. was also discussed.

They also deliberated on fostering academic and research collaboration through the twinning of schools and universities in both countries. Shri Pradhan highlighted opportunities for collaboration between Singapore’s National Institute of Education and NCERT in areas such as curriculum development, pedagogy, and teacher capacity-building.

Extending an invitation to Minister Chan to visit India, Shri Pradhan expressed his commitment to advancing shared goals and enhancing educational ties between the two nations.Shri Pradhan also met with Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Vivian Balakrishnan, to discuss deepening the India-Singapore Knowledge Partnership.

Both leaders emphasized the importance of working closely to elevate bilateral cooperation in education and expand collaborative efforts to achieve shared objectives.

Shri Pradhan also visited the National University of Singapore and met with Prof. Tan Eng Chye, President of the university. They discussed leveraging complementary strengths to build knowledge bridges, strengthen academic and research collaborations, and deepen engagements between NUS and top Indian higher education institutions across all academic fronts.

Shri Pradhan emphasized that NUS and Indian HEIs can collaborate to create value in areas such as deep start-ups, healthcare, advanced materials, digitalization, and sustainability, among others. The Minister also highlighted that a key focus area of NEP 2020 is enhancing access to quality higher education for the youth of India and the internationalization of its education system.

On the first day of his visit on 20th October 2024, Shri Pradhan had engaged with the members of the Indian diaspora in Singapore. He highlighted NEP 2020’s role in upskilling India’s youth and the enormous scale and magnitude of education in India.The Minister’s visit to Singapore, followed by a trip to Australia, from 20 to 26 October 2024, aims to foster collaboration, participation, and synergy in critical areas of mutual interest in education