U/S BURNS DISCUSSES EDUCATIONAL COOPERATION WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 002177

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/01/2020
TAGS: EAID EINT EINV IN PHUM SCUL SOCI TBIO TSPL
SUBJECT: U/S BURNS DISCUSSES EDUCATIONAL COOPERATION WITH
INDIAN HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT MINISTER SIBAL

Classified By: Under Secretary for Political Affairs William J. Burns f
or Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Under Secretary Burns met Indian Minister
for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal in New Delhi on
October 15 to discuss educational cooperation and Prime
Minister Singh's November visit to Washington. Sibal
previewed his late October travel to the United States and
pushed for the establishment of an India-U.S. Education
Council. Sibal said he expected a landmark education bill to
be submitted to the Indian Parliament in November and
approved by March 2010. The bill would expand opportunities
for Indian cooperation with foreign universities. He further
described his Ministry's efforts to improve India's higher
education system through private-public partnerships and
foreign collaborations. Burns highlighted recent expansion
of the U.S.-India Fulbright program and noted we were looking
carefully at funding options for a higher education
initiative. Burns also noted the significant opportunities
for cross-fertilization between the CEO Forum and our
education cooperation. END SUMMARY

U.S.-India Education Partnership
--------------


2. (SBU) Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian
Affairs Bob Blake, the Ambassador, and NSC Acting Senior
Director Anish Goel joined Burns. Sibal opened the meeting
by noting that "our long-term relationship has to be based on
education." To further that goal, the meeting focused on the
Sibal's upcoming visit to the United States, Prime Minister
Singh's November state visit, and educational reform in
India--particularly opening up higher education to
private-public partnerships and to foreign collaborations.


3. (SBU) Sibal looked forward to a major announcement on
education during PM Singh's November state visit--something
beyond the proposed expansion of the Fulbright-Nehru program
and the Obama-Singh Higher Education Initiative. Burns noted
that we were looking carefully for a U.S. contribution to a
higher education initiative.

Framework for Cooperation
--------------


4. (C) Sibal emphasized the importance of bringing to
fruition a proposed India-U.S. Educational Council. He
informed the Under Secretary that India had identified 15
nominees from business and academia, and looked forward to
receiving the our list of nominees. According to Sibal, this
would provide the framework for U.S.-India educational
cooperation. He believed the Council should be chaired at
the Ministerial level. A/S Blake noted that the Council
would be a useful idea to discuss with Under Secretary for
Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs during Sibal's late
October trip to the United States. (Note: Sibal seems to
have floated this idea himself. The possibility of an
educational "dialogue" or subcommittee on the sidelines of
the CEO Forum was previously discussed with MEA
interlocutors. The concept called for a group of educators
and business leaders interested in education, chaired by the
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy on the U.S. side, to
meet, discuss areas for collaboration and recommend actions
of the business and government communities that could
facilitate further cooperation. At that time, MEA did not
support the creation of a formal council because it believed
a council could bureaucratize procedures and slow things
down. End Note.)

Indian Education Reforms Present Opportunities
--------------


5. (SBU) Moving to educational reforms in India, Sibal
repeatedly stressed his commitment to open up India's higher
education sector, both to foreign parties and to
public-private partnerships. He said he planned to introduce
a bill to that effect in the November session of Parliament
and expects to have the bill passed before the end of
Parliament's budgetary session in 2010.

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6. (SBU) Regarding his upcoming U.S. visit, Sibal repeated
his interest in meeting with Members of Congress. He noted
the importance of community colleges and vocational
education, particularly in terms of matching education to
employment opportunities. Sibal flagged targeted vocational
education, distance learning, and public-private partnerships
as important tools to address India's higher education
challenges. A/S Blake pointed to research triangles in the
U.S. such as Raleigh-Durham as potential positive models for
India to consider. Sibal expressed his hopes to finalize
MOUs with at least two U.S. universities during his upcoming
trip to assist with the creation of his planned "innovative
universities" in India.


7. (SBU) Sibal repeatedly stressed his belief that
public-private partnerships, including those with foreign
entities, hold great promise in India. He pointed out,
however, the necessity of tailoring such partnerships to the
target audiences, noting that many such programs focus on
private sector schools and ignore the specific needs of rural
and poor students.


8. (SBU) Sibal discussed the establishment of an Indian
Higher Education Commission, which will regulate higher
education in India. The Commission would examine
universities' accreditations in their home countries, but
also set the bar high in India for Indian and foreign
universities, in effect establishing an Indian accreditation
system. Once that bar has been met, Sibal believes
universities should have a free hand, be they private or
public-private.

Regional Cooperation
--------------


9. (SBU) Burns asked about regional cooperation, and Blake
noted that the President of Uzbekistan had told him
Uzbekistan's long-term interests lay particularly in
strengthening ties across the board with India. Sibal
agreed, adding that the GOI was looking at exporting and
marketing Indian education abroad. He said India currently
trained Afghan teachers; that he had met with Iraqi officials
to discuss allowing Iraqi university students in India or
establishing an Indian university in southern Iraq, and he
was considering making India's Central Board of Education
curriculum internationally available.

English Language Training
--------------


10. (C) In response to Burns' query on the challenges Sibal
must face in developing an education system that was
effective while flexible enough to accommodate India's many
communities, Sibal confided that his greatest challenge was
language. Indian children wanted to learn English, while
Indian politicians often wanted them to learn their mother
tongues. Ambassador Roemer brought up the Department of
State's Access English Micro-scholarship, active throughout
India, which led to a discussion of possible collaboration
and cooperation between the GOI and the USG and between the
private and public sectors to strengthen and expand the
Access program.


11. (C) In a final point, Blake suggested the Minister
consider money generated by the offset requirements of
defense sales from the U.S. to India as a growing source of
funds for the Government of India, which could be used for
education, possibly English teaching. Sibal responded that
this might be possible, but only if the programs supported
with such funding were clearly tied to military needs, such
as research institutes.

COMMENT
--------------


12. (SBU) Sibal continues to view education as a promising
area for bilateral cooperation. Areas of emphasis include
higher education partnerships, particularly in the fields of

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science, technology, and research. Another promising area
for private-public and U.S.-India partnerships is improving
education for India's traditionally underserved populations.
Minister Sibal is very keen to explore creative ways in which
our two nations can partner on education, and his upcoming
visit to the United States will provide ample opportunities
to do so.
ROEMER