Despite the current geopolitical situation between Canada and India, there will be no problems with the transit of students for educational purposes said Professor Rhonda Lenton, President, Vice-Chancellor, York University, Canada in her visit to Bengaluru, on Friday, September 22, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
"Canadian university representatives are in India, and on the ground along with their partners, to make it very clear that India is very important to us. It is a strategic partner and we want to deepen the relationship that we have with the country," she added.
Lenton was speaking on the sidelines of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for academic collaboration with OP Jindal Global University and supporting student mobility between the two countries.
On speaking about the current geopolitics between the two nations she said, “I do not think that politics is the major premise for building any international relationship. From an inductive point of view, universities working in collaboration will still have the same courtesy towards each other."
The MoU will focus on student and faculty exchange programmes, short-term study abroad programmes, dual-degree programmes, and collaborative research projects. Recent data from the Canadian Bureau for International Education stated that currently, there are over eight lakh international students in Canada with 34 per cent of them from India, contributing over 30 billion dollars to Canada.
C Raj Kumar, Founding Vice-Chancellor, OP Jindal Global University spoke to The New Indian Express and said, "There are implications at the geopolitical level. But as universities, we are conscious of the role and responsibilities we play. Education has helped to cement better ties with countries even in the most difficult situations," and added that he hopes that the situation gets better, however, the university's primary focus remains education.
The partnership between the universities looks at investing in several critical initiatives, that will strengthen the ties and create mutually beneficial opportunities for students and researchers, including an India Immersion Programme for Canadian students to understand India and its growth story.
