The meeting will be co-chaired by India’s Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education, and Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Education. The Australian side will be led by Hon Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education, together with Hon Andrew Giles MP, Minister for Skills & Training.
Key priorities: ECCE, teacher development and mutual recognition
Delegates are expected to prioritise early childhood care and education (ECCE), teacher professional development and strengthening mutual recognition frameworks across school and vocational qualifications. Discussions will focus on practical pathways to align curricula, expand teacher exchange programmes and expedite recognition of skills to support labour mobility between the two nations.
UNSW campus LoI and campus collaboration
In a notable development, the University Grants Commission (UGC) is scheduled to issue a Letter of Intent to the University of New South Wales (UNSW), one of Australia’s leading research universities, for setting up its campus in India. The LoI would mark another milestone in India’s phased opening to foreign campuses under the UGC regulations for foreign higher educational institutions.
Research and industry-academia ties
Under the Ministry of Education’s Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC), officials will announce ten new joint research projects linking Indian and Australian higher education institutions. The projects spanning areas from applied sciences to skills-led innovation are billed to strengthen research linkages and industry-academia partnerships.
Why this matters
The AIESC, launched in 2023 and previously held in Gandhinagar and Sydney, has become the primary bilateral forum to formalise education and skilling cooperation. Deeper collaboration will help both countries address workforce demands, support international student mobility and boost quality assurance across transnational education offerings.
What to expect next
Officials say the New Delhi meeting will produce concrete deliverables: new MoUs and LoIs to widen cooperation, frameworks for teacher training exchanges, and forward plans for recognising qualifications. Stakeholders in academia and industry will closely watch implementation timelines and state-level engagement for campus projects and research partnerships.