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. NEW DELHI 00002177 002 OF 003 ¶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 NEW DELHI 00002177 003 OF 003 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