UK govt plans to increase education exports, India among five focus countries
This strategy goes further by backing providers to expand overseas and ensure top students around the world can access a world-class UK education on their own doorsteps, it said.
The UK-India partnership on education is a key pillar of cooperation agreed by PM Narendra Modi and British PM Keir Starmer in Vision 2035. The UK on Tuesday announced a new International Education Strategy to increase the value of education exports to £40 billion a year by 2030, backing providers to deliver UK education overseas in new and expanding markets.
India is one of five focus countries for the UK’s International Education Champion, Professor Sir Steve Smith, according to a statement by the British High Commission in New Delhi. The other four countries are Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Nigeria.
The UK-India partnership on education is a key pillar of cooperation agreed by PM Narendra Modi and British PM Keir Starmer in Vision 2035. India aims to rapidly increase its 40 million students and will require 30 million new student places. With nine UK universities set to open campuses in India, the UK is well placed to support this objective, the British High Commission in Delhi said.
On Tuesday, a British government statement said, “Education is already one of the UK’s most valuable exports, bringing in £32 billion to the UK economy annually and worth more than the automotive or food and drink industries.”
According to the statement, “The International Education Strategy urges UK providers to take advantage of the UK’s unique position and meet rising global demand for high-quality education. And it will back them by helping to remove the red tape to expand overseas”.
“Unlike the previous strategy released in 2019, this approach removes targets on international student numbers in the UK and, while continuing to welcome international students, shifts the focus towards growing education exports overseas by backing UK providers to expand internationally, build partnerships abroad and deliver UK education in new markets,” it said.
Education exports include UK schools, colleges and universities delivering British education overseas, international students studying in the UK, and UK qualifications, training and digital learning sold abroad.
This strategy goes further by backing providers to expand overseas and ensure top students around the world can access a world-class UK education on their own doorsteps, it said.
“The strategy is part of the Government’s plan for national renewal, boosting the reputation of our world-class universities, cutting red tape and strengthening a globally competitive education sector,” it said.
UK Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said, “… By expanding overseas, our universities, colleges and education providers can diversify income, strengthen global partnerships and give millions more access to a world-class UK education on their doorstep, all whilst boosting growth at home… ” The strategy sets out the British governm
ent’s commitment to “unlocking further growth for the sector by identifying partnership opportunities and new markets…”.
According to a Ministry of External Affairs official, “Education cooperation is an important pillar of India-UK Bilateral relationship”. Indian officials said that since 2015-16, number of first-year enrolment of Indian students in UK varsities have been increasing. Estimates based on new student visas is that the number of Indian students in the UK is around 170,000.
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