India and the UK, on July 21, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to officially recognize each others’ higher education qualifications. This will give more opportunities for Indian students to pursue higher education courses in Britain.
The MoU is a part of the India-UK enhanced trade partnership agreed on by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Boris Johnson last year. A-levels and their equivalents and undergraduate and postgraduate degrees will be recognised in India, and Indian senior secondary school or pre-university certificates will be accepted by higher education institutions in Britain.
BVR Subramanyum, the Commerce secretary, told the press that British degrees will be recognised equivalent to Indian degrees even though degrees in professional fields such as medicine, pharmacy, engineering and architecture will not be covered under the MoU. This signing will open the doors for British nationals to pursue their higher education in India and also a chance for institutions to create courses that can be taught in both countries.
“Now, we are delighted to deliver on our promise to unblock barriers to trade between our two nations and make UK higher education even easier to access and more appealing to Indian students,” said Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Britain’s international trade secretary.
