Dr. Pavneesh Madan (L), Vice President and President-Elect of Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute joins Minister Demetrios Nicolaides to sign the memorandum of understanding. (Photo: Alberta Government)

By Sarah Jones

Education

Alberta to work closely with post-secondary institutions in India

Jan 13, 2023 | 2:26 PM

EDMONTON, AB – Post-secondary students in both Alberta and India are set to benefit from a recently-signed memorandum of understanding (MOU).

On January 12, 2023, Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education, Demetrios Nicolaides, and Dr. Pavneesh Madan, the Vice President and President-Elect at Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute met to strengthen ties between Canada and India.

The MOU will allow for post-secondary institutions to collaborate and share knowledge more easily through research partnerships, professional development opportunities and engagement between faculty and students.

Nicolaides said in a news release that, “Alberta already has strong ties to India, so making it easier for our post-secondary sectors to work together makes perfect sense.”

“Through this agreement with the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, we’ll be able to build an enhanced network between our respective PSIs, creating more opportunities for knowledge and culture exchange,” he explained. “I’m excited to see where this new partnership leads for India and Alberta.”

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The Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute supports fields of study across all post-secondary facilities and is funded by the Government of India’s Ministry of Education.

According to Alberta’s Minister of Trade, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Rajan Sawhney, this partnership will also assist in addressing the province’s skilled labour shortage.

Along with expanding academic opportunities, both jurisdictions will focus on several other priorities. These include:

• Enhancing Alberta’s international student recruitment strategies to attract more newcomers from India.
• Promoting Alberta-India education cooperation and collaboration.
• Supporting missions and visits between post-secondary institutions in Alberta and India.
• Engaging industry in Alberta and India to support the Government of Alberta’s international education and employment goals.

Dr. Pavneesh Madan said, “We at the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute are really excited that this MOU will further augment the cooperation between Alberta’s universities, community colleges, and polytechnics with India through knowledge mobilization, institutional partnership building, professional development, and engagement with students and faculty supporting cutting edge research.”

This MOU will be in effect for the next two years, with the possibility of expanding it in the future.