Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 21 (ANI): Australia is poised to expand its education and skilling collaboration with India through additional overseas branch campuses and specialised vocational training initiatives as bilateral engagement deepens across higher education and technical research.

The announcements and strategic directions were shared at the 10th Edition of The Edu Meet 2026 - Future of Education & Skilling - Vision 2030, organised by ASSOCHAM in alignment with the agenda of Viksit Bengal for Viksit Bharat@2047. The forum brought together education leaders, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to address workforce readiness, employability, and curricular adaptation.

Addressing the forum on bilateral ties, Bernard Lynch, Australian Consul General in Kolkata, noted that educational cooperation formed an essential component of the partnership between both countries.

'Australia is in this for the long haul. Education and skilling are an absolute pillar of a very dynamic and growing relationship between our two countries,' Lynch said. 'India continues to be the second largest source of international students into Australia, but the relationship goes far beyond that, spanning world-class universities, cutting-edge research and robust vocational education programmes.'

Lynch confirmed that institutional linkages were expanding beyond the current operational base within India.

'Australia already has nine overseas branch campuses in India, and that number is set to grow, alongside new initiatives such as a Centre of Excellence in Mining Equipment and solar training programmes, all of which will enrich the education and skills landscape of India,' he said.

Academic and industry leaders at the summit emphasised the necessity of shifting institutional curricula away from theoretical instruction toward practical competence. Manoj Joshi, Chairman of the ASSOCHAM Higher Education Council - East, pointed out that traditional pedagogical methods were no longer sufficient.

'Higher education in India can no longer rely on rote memorisation and theory-heavy curricula. That model has run its course,' Joshi said.

'The true currency of the future is applied competence, not just theoretical knowledge, and a degree must be proof of capability, not merely a certificate of attendance,' he stated, urging industry to co-develop credit-bearing practical modules directly with universities.

Prof. Satyajit Chakrabarti, Director of the Institute of Engineering & Management, observed that access to information had shifted rapidly with emerging technology.

'There is now a commoditisation of knowledge. Knowledge is free and everywhere, and AI has accelerated that by hundreds of thousands of times,' Chakrabarti said, noting that institutions needed to prioritise creative problem-solving and indigenous technology development.

Sagar Agarwal, Chairman of the ASSOCHAM School Education Council East, stressed the need to build resilience in foundational learning, while Prof. Dilip Shah of The Bhawanipur Education Society College underlined the relevance of short-term, industry-linked programmes to counter rapid technological obsolescence.

The meet also saw the formal release of the ASSOCHAM-PwC Knowledge Report titled 'Unlocking the next leap in education', alongside the presentation of the ASSOCHAM Excellence Awards. (ANI)