India, UK sign pact recognising each other's higher education qualifications

India and the UK Thursday signed an agreement to recognise each other's higher education qualifications, in a move that is in sync with a 10-year-roadmap to significantly expand overall bilateral ties.

The announcement about the pact, which is set to benefit thousands of young people in both countries, was made by the British government.

"The MoU, part of the UK-India Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) agreed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, means A-levels and their equivalents, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees will now be recognised in India," it said in a statement.

It said the two sides also signed MoUs implementing ETP commitments to create a task force to provide opportunities for Indian nurses and nursing associates seeking to train and work in the UK's National Health Service.

The UK's Department for International Trade said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on higher education will allow Indian students who graduate from British universities to apply for postgraduate qualifications or embark on government careers that require university qualifications when they return home.

The UK and India are already important destinations for each other's students. In 2020-21, the UK received 84,555 Indian students, according to official data.

"The agreement will make UK universities even more appealing to Indian applicants and is likely to provide an economic boost, as the benefit to the UK of welcoming non-EU students is estimated by industry to be around 109,000 pounds per person," the statement said.