Wellington – Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Steven Joyce will lead a delegation to India tomorrow to lift New Zealand’s profile as a destination for international students and to support our tertiary….. institutions and companies seeking to grow their business in the Indian market.
“India is New Zealand’s third largest source of international students with 12,358 students enrolled in courses in New Zealand in 2011 – an increase of 95 per cent since 2008,” Mr Joyce says. The Government wants to double the economic contribution the international education industry makes to New Zealand to $5 billion by 2025. India is an important part of that future growth both in terms of students studying in New Zealand, and New Zealand providers working in India. The aim of the visit alongside a delegation of New Zealand tertiary institutions, education providers and companies is to further strengthen and build on our mutual education relationship.
The closeness between our two education industries is reflected in the fact that up to eight memoranda of understanding are expected to be signed between New Zealand and Indian institutions covering areas such as vocational training, joint research training, student exchanges and ICT. Aviation is another area where New Zealand has good links with India. Kiwis are involved in the design and building of airports in India, and New Zealand is highly regarded as a flight training location for Indian students. During the visit, we will be looking for greater collaboration to allow more New Zealand companies to take advantage of the aviation opportunities in India.
A key event of the visit is the inaugural meeting of the India New Zealand Education Council. Mr Joyce will co-chair the meeting with the Minister of Human Resources development, Shri Kapil Sibal. The Council, which has a jointly funded annual budget of up to NZ$1 million, was set up ensure greater co-operation in education between New Zealand and India and was announced in India last year by Prime Minister John Key.
