India China discussed mutual cooperation in education at the first meeting of the Joint Working Group

India and China held the first meeting of the Joint Working Group on Education on Wednesday, in which both sides discussed the education system of the two countries and considered the possibilities of mutual cooperation.

The Indian Embassy issued a press release, saying that the possibility of signing an agreement was considered by which both countries should mutually recognize the academic qualifications provided by them and promote exchange of students. It said that the Indian side gave a presentation on various topics related to education.

The Indian delegation was led by Madan Mohan, Additional Director General in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, while Fang Jun, Deputy Director General of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Education from the Chinese side took the lead.

There are currently 23,000 Indian students studying in various courses in Chinese universities. Of these, 21,000 are medical students. In view of the increasing demand in medical science, the Chinese government has directed 45 of the 200 medical institutions to teach MBBS course in English.

Fewer Chinese students study in India than Indian students. Some Indian universities are enticing Chinese students to enroll in information technology and other engineering courses. Recently, India had instructed no Indian university to start programs for exchange of students from Chinese institutions without the permission of the Ministry of External Affairs.

According to the release, on Wednesday, the two sides agreed to exchange school students, organize seminar on education in China and other cooperative activities to mark 70 years of diplomatic relations between India and China.

"He acknowledged that educational exchange is an important component of the relationship between the people of the two countries and welcomed the movement of students to study in both countries," the release said.

On Tuesday, the Indian delegation visited China's Open University and met with Vice President Yang Shiotang. The delegation sought to explore opportunities for mutual cooperation between the Chinese and Indian Open University system. The next meeting of the Joint Working Group will be next year.