Hyderabad: Japanese education minister Hakubun Shimomura said his aim was to raise the number of Indian students studying in Japan by at least 10 times over the next six years. He said the quantum of exchange in education between the two countries needs to improve.
Mr Shimomura visited IIT Hyderabad’s temporary campus at the ordinance factory in Medak. The permanent campus for the IIT is being built with Japanese assistance.
A JICA Friendship Project has also been launched by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, to provide scholarships exclusively to IIT Hyderabad students going to Japanese universities to pursue post graduate education. JICA representatives said about 15 IIT Hyderabad students were sent to Japanese universities for Master’s and doctoral studies in 2013-14. The number is being doubled in 2014-15.
“IIT Hyderabad is symbolic of the Indo-Japanese collaboration. Quantum of exchange in the field of education has not been up to the desired level, be it Indian students studying in Japan or vice versa. We want more Japanese students to come to India as well,” said Mr Shimomura.
Mr Shimomura also said he had come to review the progress of the construction of IIT Hyderabad’s permanent campus. JICA is providing about Rs 1,300 crore for the new campus. Under the JICA Friendship Project, technology assistance will also be provided to IIT Hyderabad researchers.
Academicians have identified environment and energy, next generation communication technologies, industrial design and manufacturing, nano-technology and civil engineering as focus areas.
