An umbrella body of Indian universities and its counterpart from Taiwan have signed an accord for academic cooperation through collective research and faculty exchanges.
An agreement to this effect was signed by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) during the visit of AIU delegates to the island nation earlier this month.
China is opposed to any country entering into cooperation with Taiwan, which considers it as its integral part.
"The decision to have academic tie-ups with Taiwan was taken after due consultations with the ministry of external affairs, which gave us a green signal for the collaboration," AIU president MD Tiwari, who is also director of the Indian Institute of Information Technology in Allahabad, told PTI.
"In recent years, Taiwan has emerged as an important educational destination with its world-class academic infrastructure. There has been a steady increase in the number of Indian students enrolling in Taiwan with 80% of them pursuing doctoral courses.
"However, degrees and diplomas awarded by Taiwanese institutions have not so far been getting recognition in our country," Tiwari said. "The agreement will bring both the countries closer in academic field including researches by exchange of students and experts in various faculties. Mutual recognition of degrees and diplomas and the sharing of expertise would become a reality as soon as the agreement becomes operational," Tiwari said.
The Indian delegation visited Taiwan from March 7 to 10.
"As per the agreement, both the countries would recognise each other’s academic credentials in a phased manner. Courses would also be evaluated and accorded recognition on merit. The evaluation will be conducted by AIU officials," Tiwari said.
"This would also enable our universities to have their own tie-ups with their Taiwanese counterparts, many of which are world class," Tiwari said.
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