CHANDIGARH: A delegation from a consortium of six top universities in Australia on Wednesday expressed keen interest in setting up a campus in Gurugram to offer undergraduate courses, a Haryana government statement said.
The delegation was led by Nick McCaffrey, Deputy High Commissioner of the Australian High Commission and here he met Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
The Australian delegation also included Matthew Johnson, Minister Counselor, Education and Research, Australian High Commission; Professor Simon Biggs, IRU President and Vice-Chancellor and President, James Cook University; and representatives of universities.
Earlier this year, The Innovative Research Universities announced Professor Simon Biggs, Vice-Chancellor and President of James Cook University, as the group’s President for 2024-2025.
Haryana Chief Minister Saini welcomed the delegation and assured them of the full support and cooperation of the State Government including providing an existing building and all other necessary facilities to start the campus.
The statement said that an MoU will be signed in this regard soon.
The Chief Minister said that the Foreign Cooperation Department of the Haryana Government will further coordinate as per the requirements of the IRU of Australia.
The state government statement further said that with the establishment of the campus, students will no longer need to travel to Australia, as they will be able to complete undergraduate courses right here in Haryana.
“On completion of their studies, they will receive a certificate from an Australian university, which will open doors to lucrative job opportunities not only in Haryana but globally. This initiative will help Haryana students to avoid the huge tuition fees and expenses associated with studying abroad. Will help in saving from other expenses.
“After Class 12, students at this campus will have the opportunity to pursue four-year integrated courses in Software Engineering, Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence, Financial Technology, Tourism and Hospitality, and Sports Management. The range of courses gradually expanded This will be done in sync with the emerging needs of the state and the community,” it said.
According to the statement, the delegation also congratulated Chief Minister Saini on the BJP’s “resounding victory” in the Haryana Assembly elections held in October.
Nick McCaffrey said that since 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opened new doors for mutual cooperation between India and Australia, with the education sector being the largest area of cooperation.
The delegation was informed that this year Haryana is celebrating the International Gita Mahotsav with the partner country Tanzania whereas last year Australia was the partner country of Haryana.
After the meeting, the Chief Minister presented a copy of Bhagavad Gita to the members of the delegation as a mark of respect.
Haryana Chief Secretary Vivek Joshi, Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Rajesh Khullar; Principal Secretary, Higher Education Department, D. Suresh; Advisor Foreign Cooperation Department, Pawan Chaudhary; And Professor Rajbir Lohan, Vice Chancellor of Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak was also present in the meeting.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
