Nepal, Bangladesh, and Indian education sectors suffer from limited foreign collaborations; less research orientation; redundant and obsolete curricula; and less relevance of courses with job opportunities available. Especially in the case of India, few initiatives were taken to improve quality of education. India adopted new education policy that opened the doors to strategic collaboration with international universities, as India has begun to concentrate on vocational education and training for the first time. This research examines the scope and restrictions of institutional partnerships between India, other SAARC nations, and Australian higher education institutions. This study is based on the analysis of data presented in the different case studies like Rajasthan Royals and Deakin Australian Universities, IIT Bombay and Monash Australian, Indian Academy of Science and Innovation Research (AcSIR) and RMIT Australian University.
TopIntroduction
Education is universally acknowledged as a critical factor in promoting economic, social, and personal growth (OECD, 2016). A well-educated and intellectual workforce is seen as a catalyst for success and has become a marketable commodity (Phale et al., 2021). Under the World Trade Organization, traded education services have become one of the most important international trade-in services (WTO). In the Asia-Pacific, four main exporters dominate education services trade: The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Even though these nations have surplus education services, Australia is the most competitive exporter in terms of “revealed comparative advantage in selling education services,” with the Asia-Pacific area accounting for 75% of international students studying in Australia (Larsen et al., 2002).
This wealth creation in human skills and abilities gives Australia a competitive advantage in the area when it comes to selling educational resources. While Australia has an overflow of educational services, India has an overabundance of demand for high-quality education and training. India's extensive economic reforms and rapid growth necessitate a highly efficient and knowledge-based workforce, which means it is quickly becoming a significant importer of education services in the area. India has been identified as the possibly largest new market for Western institutions, according to a joint analysis by the British Council and the Economist Intelligence Unit (The Economist, 2010). India would gain from merging its education program trade with Australia for competitive and comparative advantage reasons.
The fast expansion of several higher education institutions in the Asia-Pacific area is a key trend, driven by ever social demand, the democratization of secondary education, and the expanding prosperity of many nations. As higher education institutions grow, there is a pressing need to find new finance and resources. Higher education institutions from various countries are forming and developing strategic cooperation and collaboration to mobilize resources, facilitate academic exchanges, and offer joint programs to increase information and communication technologies advancement and student and staff mobility (Lee, 2012).
The SAU first welcomed students in 2010 and now provides graduate and doctorate degrees in Mathematics, Biotechnology, Computer Science, Development Economics, International Relations, Law, and Sociology to residents of all SAARC nations. SAU envisions three primary aims as a SAARC regional-level initiative: building a culture of understanding and regional consciousness; nurturing a liberal, brilliant, and quality leadership; and building regional scientific and technology capabilities (SAU, 2015). According to the university requirements, at least 80% of faculty seats must be filled by professors from the eight SAARC nations, with the remaining places accessible to faculty from other countries.
SAARC is a geostrategic association made up of eight nations in South Asia. SAARC's mission is to foster regional economic development and collective self-reliance. One of the association's main objectives was to promote and stimulate cultural interchange throughout the area, particularly via promoting South Asian arts, including music, dances, creative arts, handicraft, poetry, and literature. SAARC has established substantial diplomatic relationships with the European Union, the United Nations, and several other international organizations throughout the years. (Bajaj, et al., 2016).
The social constitution of SAARC educational provision proposed four objectives. These include increasing universal access to primary and secondary education for all children, regardless of gender, primary completion rates, young adult literacy rates, and learning quality at the basic, secondary, and vocational levels (SAARC, 2014). SAARC currently oversees several educational initiatives, including fellowship and scholarship programs, open and distance learning programs, efforts to standardize curricula, mutual recognition, and accreditation of higher education courses, credit transfer between accredited universities in member countries, and the formation of teacher forums for the exchange of educational ideas and values across the region. The development of the South Asian University (SAU) in New Delhi, on the other hand, is an educational endeavour that best symbolizes SAARC's ideological promise.