Higher education sector bridging India-US relationship

Apr 13, 2022

Washington [US], April 13 : US-India collaboration is the foundation for the work being done in the higher education sector of the two countries, said a PhD student at Higher Education Leadership and Policy Program at Howard University.
"Collaboration is the foundation for work between India and US and we're going to do in a higher education sector, bridging US contacts and Indian contacts. That's the foundation for innovation in terms of higher education," Lyndsie Whitehead told ANI.
The research scholar spoke after the interaction session with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and India's External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar at Howard University for the India-US Education Collaboration.
Blinken and External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar interacted with Indian students, scholars, and researchers who have worked in the United States, and US students, scholars, and researchers who have studied, worked, or conducted research at higher education institutions in India.
Speaking about Howard University, Lyndsie Whitehead said that it is such a historic institution.
Meanwhile, a day after India-US announced the intent to establish a new Education and Skills Development Working Group, a Washington-based expert said that higher education cooperation between the two countries will help deliver the real promise of a diplomatic relationship.
"Great today to be at Howard University to have a meeting with the Secretary of State and India's External Affairs Minister to talk about the real promise of US-India higher education cooperation," Richard Rossow, Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies at Center for Strategic and International Studies, told ANI.
Highlighting the "deeper academic" ties between the United States and India, Blinken said that the partnership is absolutely crucial and pertinent for addressing the problems of the 21st century. He said that at least 200,000 Indian students are studying in US universities.
This Howard University event comes a day after India and US reiterated their support to further strengthen cooperation in the field of education and skill development through joint collaborations and promote student and scholar mobility to build people-to-people linkages between the two countries.
"In this regard, the ministers announced the intent to establish a new India-U.S. Education and Skills Development Working Group," the joint statement on the Fourth India-U.S. 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue read.