India- UAE MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Education

The new India-UAE MoU in the field of Education incorporates changes brought in by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in India’s education ecosystem.

Table of Contents

India-UAE MoU on Education- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: International Relations- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

India-UAE MoU on Education in News

Recently, Union Cabinet has approved to sign a MoU between the Ministry of Education, Government of India and the Ministry of Education of the Government of United Arab Emirates on cooperation in the field of Education.

India-UAE MoU on Education

Background of India-UAE MoU on Education
- An MoU was signed in 2015 with UAE in the field of Education which expired in 2018.
- In 2019, at a meeting between Education Ministers of the two countries, UAE side proposed to sign a new MoU.
About: The new India-UAE MoU incorporates changes brought in by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in India’s education ecosystem.
Key Objective: Objective of the India-UAE MoU on Education is to further strengthen our ongoing educational collaboration between India and UAE and widen the scope of our engagements.
Mandate: India-UAE MoU on Education aims to-
- Promote Exchange of Information Education, Capacity Development of Technical and vocational Education and Training (TVET) teaching staff,
- Facilitation of academic collaboration between Higher Education Institutions in both the countries for offering Twinning,
- Joint Degree and Dual Degree Programmes and any such other areas agreed upon.

India-UAE MoU on Education

The new MoU incorporates changes brought in by the National Education Policy 2020 in India’s education ecosystem.
India-UAE MoU on Education will rejuvenate educational cooperation and increase academic mobility between India and UAE besides facilitating exchange information in order to promote mutual recognition of these qualifications.
- It also covers cooperation in TVET as UAE is a major work destination for Indians.
India-UAE MoU on Education will be valid for a period of five years from the date of signing and will be automatically renewable with the consent of both parties.
- Once signed, this MoU shall supersede the earlier MoU signed with UAE in 2015, which will then cease to have effect.

Key points About NEP-2020

It is the third education policy of our country. The earlier two was launched in 1968 and 1986.
- This national policy came after a gap of 34 years.
It is based on the recommendations of Kasturirangan committee.
It renames the Ministry of Human Resource Development to Ministry of Education.
It proposes a 5+3+3+4 curricular and pedagogical structure.

Stages	Years	Class	Features
Foundational	3-8	3 years of pre-primary and 1-2	Flexible, multi-level, activity-based learning
Preparatory	9-11	3-5	Light textbooks, more formal but interactive classroom learning
Middle	12-14	6-8	Introduction of subject teachers for learning of more abstract concepts, experimental learning
Secondary	15-18	9-12	Reading in-depth, critical thinking, greater attention to life aspirations

Implementation of NEP-2020

There will be an apex body called Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), which will resolve disputes among the following bodies.

Bodies	Features
NHERA (National Higher Education Regulatory Authority)	Light but tight regulation
NAC (National Accreditation Commission)	Meta-accrediting agency
HEGC (Higher Education Grants Council)	Responsible for funding
GEC (General Education Council)	frame expected learning outcomes for higher education programmes.