Finland's Education Minister, Anna-Maja Henriksson, is embarking on a four-day mission to India, commencing this Monday, in an ambitious move to fortify bilateral ties in the educational sector. The visit aims to bolster Finnish educational exports and enhance collaboration with India's central and state education officials.
The Embassy of Finland in India highlighted the main objectives of the trip, stating, "The mission is crafted to intensify existing educational projects and reinforce their operative and export capabilities.
Moreover, there's a keen emphasis on pioneering initiatives to cultivate vocational education collaborations. These initiatives align with Finland's objective to draw and employ proficient experts from India in sectors where there's a palpable demand."
A major highlight of Minister Henriksson's visit will be her participation in the Asian Summit on Education and Skills, the continent's premier education expo. Here, she is slated to present one of the introductory addresses. Furthermore, she will also be a significant presence at Bengaluru's Didac India education exhibition, showcasing her support for Finnish education export enterprises.
The Embassy underscored the regional focus of the visit, noting, "The concentration of the trip will be on comprehensive and advanced vocational training in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. These southern Indian states have exhibited a pronounced inclination towards Finnish educational systems. Given India's recent demographic milestone as the world's most populous nation, its evolving education sector presents an intriguing prospect for Finnish collaboration."
A special event is on the cards in Bengaluru, designed for Indian students. This event is a joint effort between the Finnish National Agency for Education (Study in Finland) and Business Finland. Joining Henriksson will be several delegates from the Finnish-Indian higher education consortium.
Earlier in the month, Kimmo Lahdevirta, Finland's Ambassador to India, accentuated the potential benefits emanating from the ongoing free trade dialogues between India and the European Union. He remarked, "The EU stands as a paramount trade ally for India. It's imperative that the current trade negotiations yield outcomes favorable for both entities."
Lahdevirta also delved into the historical depth of Indo-Finnish ties, highlighting advancements in various domains, ranging from trade and technology to education and culture. Speaking about tourism, he mentioned, "The essence of bilateral ties lies in people-to-people interactions. The availability of direct flights between Helsinki and India, facilitated by Finnair, greatly enhances these exchanges."
Expressing optimism for the future, Lahdevirta elaborated on the potential in emerging technologies. "The horizon looks promising with vast potentialities in domains like artificial intelligence, 5G, 6G, green tech, energy solutions, and biofuels. These innovations, especially those associated with sustainable development, hold immense significance for our shared future," he concluded.
HT
