PATNA: Bihar education minister
Ashok Choudhary
on Wednesday urged young scholars of the state to avail the benefits of European Union (
EU
) student exchange programmes and take up research in the “not-so-popular” study areas like archaeology, linguistics and physical sciences.
Addressing a workshop jointly organized by the EU and the state government, the minister admitted that Bihar’s “under-performing”
higher education
sector had adverse effects on its fast-growing economy. “We have a lot of catching up to do in the fields of secondary and higher education if we have to feature in global rankings,” he said and asked the participants to work together for a major overhaul of the existing education system.
The minister also launched the official website of the State Higher Education Council on the occasion.
Asian Development Research Institute
’s member-secretary Shaibal Gupta in his keynote address underlined the significance of translating research into economically productive commercial applications. “Bihar, which constitutes about 10% of the Indian population, cannot remain insulated from the changes taking place all over the world. Even after half a century of post-independence existence, we have not been able to banish illiteracy,” he rued.
Studying abroad is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity for many and EU-funded scholarships like Erasmus+ and Jean Monnet grant international students a berth in European universities. European Union Delegation to India’s deputy head Cesare Onestini said, “With higher education becoming increasingly competitive, EU programmes can help Indian pupils get the edge they need. Once they are accepted into a European university, they have an opportunity to learn and share new ideas, hobbies and interests with students from other parts of the world.”
Interacting with 50-odd VCs, principals, teachers and administrative staff from universities of the state, Erasmus Mundus alumnus
Sanjeev Roy
highlighted the importance of inter-institutional agreements with European higher education institutions (HEIs).
“You can send students and research scholars to your partner institutions in Europe for short-term mobility (3 months to a year). Even your administrative staff can receive grants for teaching or training assignments for a period ranging from five days to two months. HEIs of Bihar, on the other hand, can host European doctoral candidates or staff for short-term mobility,” Roy said and added more than 150 European universities had evinced interest in Indian institutions.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.