NEW DELHI: India’s Cabinet today approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UAE on cooperation in the field of education.

"The objective of the MoU is to further strengthen ongoing educational collaboration between India and UAE and to widen the scope of those engagements," the government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) explained. "The MoU will be signed between the Ministry of Education of the Government of India and the Ministry of Education of the Government of the UAE."

An original MoU was signed in 2015 between India and the UAE in the field of education, but it expired in 2018. In 2019, at a meeting between the two countries, the UAE side proposed a new MoU.

It will now incorporate changes brought in by the National Education Policy 2020 in India’s education system. "This MoU aims to promote exchange of information, 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," the PIB said.

The new MoU will rejuvenate educational cooperation and increase academic mobility between India and UAE besides facilitating exchange of information in order to promote mutual recognition of these qualifications. "It also covers cooperation in TVET as the UAE is a major work destination for Indians."

The MoU 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, the Indian Cabinet resolved.