MUMBAI: The Education Trade Mission to India, led by the US Department of Commerce, is going to visit Mumbai, Bangalore, and New Delhi between September 12 and 16. Finding and promoting opportunities for collaboration between Indian and American higher education institutions is the focus of this trade mission.

A top official said here on Friday that the US Department of Commerce Education Trade Mission will visit India the following week to strengthen academic ties between the two countries, which have already seen a record number of Indian students receive visas from the US this summer (82,000), a record.

During the delegation's visits to Mumbai, Bangalore, and New Delhi from September 12 to 16, US Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) will look for partnerships with the Indian education industry. The delegation, which will tour the three largest Indian cities against the backdrop of India's New Education Policy-2020, will include representatives from 21 US higher education institutions from 15 US states.

With almost 82,000 Indian students receiving visas from the US missions in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad for this summer, the development is thought to be significant.

According to officials, about 20% of all international students studying in the US at different levels are Indian. According to Mike Hankey, US Consul-General in Mumbai, "US schools are very interested in learning more about the tremendous opportunities that exist in India... This programme will help them develop their understanding of the sector and how they can best partner and collaborate with Indian institutions." The next trade mission's focus  will be to "discover and encourage" opportunities for cooperation between the two countries' HEIs.

India's NEP-2020 has set an ambitious plan to overhaul and expand this nation's higher education system, including supporting research, hands-on learning, and internationalisation of the curricula.

Three education technology and service companies that want to transfer their world-class skills here have joined the programme. "The US HEIs provide a lot of knowledge in these areas and have created the best practises that can assist India to accomplish its goals," stated Hankey.

The programme participants will engage in specialised meetings with Indian HEIs, student recruiting agents and other stakeholders to learn directly what India needs most. On September 12 (Mumbai) and September 15 (New Delhi), there will be live student fairs as part of the event.

The delegation will also meet with representatives of the state and federal governments, as well as education authorities, business leaders, and others, to hear their perspectives on the challenges facing the Indian economy and potential solutions provided by US HEIs.

The delegation's itinerary includes campus visits and business meetings for two days in Mumbai, a student expo and B2B meetings for two days in Bengaluru (September 14), and campus tours and meetings at the US Embassy for two days in New Delhi.

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