India-US cooperation in the field of education is now poised for major expansion and the Foreign Education Bill provides an "excellent opportunity" for American universities to open their off-shore locations in India, the country's top envoy has said.
India sees education as a "critical" factor for achieving its goals to have inclusive growth and to realise the potential for taking the Indian economy to a higher growth trajectory, Indian Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar said.
"India-US cooperation in the field of education is today poised for major expansion. With a young population, there is greater demand in India for expanding the education infrastructure," she said at a function to commemorate the 60th year of the Nehru-Fulbright Educational Exchange Programme.
Shankar said the Indian Government has announced major initiatives for massive expansion and up gradation of the education infrastructure of schools, universities and institutes imparting vocational training.
"To accomplish this, we are increasing Government expenditure on education from around 10 percent to 19 percent. A bill in the Parliament has also been introduced to open up the education sector for Foreign Universities," she said.
"This provides an excellent opportunity for US universities to increase the number of Indian students studying in their Institutions, not only in the US, but also in India, through opening up of their off-shore locations or through tie-ups with Indian institutions," Shankar said.
There are around three million Indian Americans in the United States, who have made the US their home, she said, adding that most of them are highly educated in technical fields and have contributed immensely to the economy of their adopted country and to the perception of India amongst the American public, through their expertise, perseverance and hard work.
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"Like the Fulbright scholars, these Indian Americans have contributed in their own ways to India's social and economic progress by linking back to the land of their ancestors, helping to change perspectives and outlooks and bringing a modernising impetus to a traditional society," she said.
"I often counter the cliche of "brain drain" in India's context with the concept of "brain circulation".
Some of the Indian Americans are also offering precious insights to help India's rejuvenation through our Prime Minister's Global Advisory Council of Overseas Indians, she said.