India, 07th June 2023: To foster academic and cultural collaboration between India and Canada, King’s at Western University, has signed two MoUs with Indian educational institutions during their recent India visit, led by the President and Director of Enrolment Services and Registrar. Aimed to facilitate cross border collaborations, the delegation ended the India visit on a successful note by signing MoUs with GD Goenka University and Don Bosco School in Delhi and Mumbai, respectively.
Speaking about the associations, Dr. David C. Malloy, President of King’s University College, said, “Intra-institute partnerships are a key element of King’s internationalization objectives. These partnerships will provide an exciting launchpad for further collaboration in various arenas including mobility of staff, students, professors, and researchers. We look forward to cooperation and development with each team to further the internationalization objectives for everyone associated. This term, 22.8% of King’s student body comprises of international students, and we are wanting to increase the number of students in that group who are originally from India and thus, the exchange programmes through these MoUs comes at the right time for us Our students from India are great leaders on campus academically and they get involved in campus life.”
The MOU signed between King’s and GD Goenka is based on organizing future student exchanges, faculty mobility, joint research activities, and collaborating on other bilateral academic cooperation between the universities, signifying their desire for future collaboration over the next five years.
Prof. Dr. B S Satyanarayana, Vice Chancellor, of GD Goenka University said, “This partnership will go a long way in encouraging our student’s aspirations. We hope that the association births the next generation of citizens who lead global communities. Such collaborations are helpful for cultural understanding and collaboration between two nations and could benefit the students and faculty of both universities.” GD Goenka, having extensive experience through its International Partnerships and Student Mobility, are looking forward to the possibility to successfully having King’s exchange students on its campus and King’s too looks forward to the exchange.
As detailed in the MoU, this initiative will enable a global synthesis by orchestrating exchange lectures, seminars, workshops, research projects, programs, exchange of information, teaching materials, and publications. A special International Student’s Bridging Programme has also been designed for international students attending King’s, which will enable the candidates to orient themselves to life at King’s and Canada at the beginning of each term.
In Mumbai, Dr. Malloy signed the MoU with Mrs. Meena Saldanha, Principal, Don Bosco School. The agreement establishes an important educational partnership to provide preferred opportunities for Don Bosco students in Mumbai to complete a baccalaureate degree at King’s. Don Bosco Mumbai is home to 650 students in grades JK to 12 and offers both the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program and A levels as part of the senior grades diploma program.
Speaking about the initiative, Mrs Meena Saldanha, said, “Canada is an increasingly popular destination for Indians and this MOU will give our students an added advantage. The initiative is aimed towards holistic development, including academic excellence, social growth, and inter-cultural transfer of ideas that can create mindfulness among students who benefit from this association.”
Both partnerships mark a milestone that signifies India’s growth in the international higher education market. All the institutes believe that these partnerships will benefit the exchange of students, faculty, and staff involved as an opportunity to develop new perspectives, ideas, and knowledge.
In addition to this, to tap into the ever-growing study abroad market in India, the institution also announced the King’s International Student Award, a financial support initiative with a maximum value of $32,000 Canadian dollars available to eligible Indian applicants starting their study abroad journey with the university from all 2023 and beyond.
These announcements are a significant step towards building the Indo-Canadian cross-border relations while improving the flux of talent, academic and cultural exchange between the two countries.