Keynote address by Mr. S.M. Krishna, Minister of External Affairs of Government of India at the 60th anniversary of the US-India Education Foundation in India......................................................................................
By S.M. Krishna
(February 03, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) It is with great pleasure and a sense of pride that I participate in these celebrations organized on the sixtieth anniversary of the Fulbright programme in India.
I think, this occasion demands that all those who are associated with the scholarship and exchange of education will salute the memory of Senator James William Fulbright whose brainchild has been the Fullbright Scholarship programme. I had the privilege of meeting with Senator Fulbright when I was studying in George Washington University.
Senator Fullbright was a statesman who was able to focus on crucial and critical areas of two countries. India became a part of this program in 1950, thanks to the visions of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Ambassador Loy Henderson, who signed the India-US agreement on educational exchange on this day that year.
My academic experience in the US has left an indelible impression on me. It gave me the opportunity to understand and appreciate USA not only for its democratic strengths, but also for the higher education system that country has evolved over a period of time. Studying in the USA brought me closer to the diverse peoples that make up that society, and I learned so much from their perspectives. I am sure other Fulbright-alumni who are present here will agree that educational exchange programs are one of the most effective and valuable means of bridging peoples and cultures and creating understanding between nations.
Friends, recognizing the importance of educational exchanges, and in an effort to realize the vision of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to strengthen academic linkages with all countries of the world, the Government of India and the Government of USA strengthened the Fulbright program in India by signing a revised agreement on July 4, 2008. With India becoming a full partner in the selection and award of scholarships, the scholarships are now called the “Fulbright -Jawaharlal Nehru Scholarships and Grants”. With a financial contribution of US$ 2.3 million by India as per the revised Agreement, the total annual scholarship amount could be increased by a 100%. Starting with the academic year 2009-2010, we have been awarding “Fulbright–Nehru” scholarships honouring the memory of both Senator Fulbright and Prime Minister Nehru.
“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence” – said our Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Inspired by such wisdom, the Fulbright-Nehru program will focus on areas of priority in the bilateral relationship - agriculture, environment, energy, and other fields which will have a direct impact on the lives of the people.
When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had visited India last year, we were united in our conviction that education was an area of potential bilateral cooperation which merited much greater focus by us. Our Joint Statement on that occasion, a reference of which was made - in July 2009 - reaffirms the importance of educational exchanges, institutional collaboration, and the need to expand the role of the private sector in furthering education cooperation between our knowledge societies. We also agreed to establish an Education Dialogue which would give a fresh impetus and a new direction to the ongoing bilateral education cooperation between our two governments. I am glad that Under Secretary McHale and her counterpart in our Ministry of Human Resource Development have met yesterday and initiated the new bilateral Education Dialogue with their first meeting as co-chairs of this dialogue.
When Prime Minister visited USA in November 2009, both Governments announced an increase in our respective contributions to the Fulbright-Nehru Programme by US$ 1 million each. Our leaders also announced that India and the USA would contribute US$ 5 million each to launch an initiative on formation of higher education partnerships between institutions in both countries, to strengthen junior faculty in our country and build linkages between the junior faculty of our respective institutions of higher education. The modalities of the Singh-Obama Knowledge Initiative, as we call it, are being worked out by the Governments.
Our commitment to the field of education in India-US relations goes further back: in December 2008, Government of India endowed Harvard University with a US$ 4.5 million grant to enable the University to establish a fund in honour of Nobel Laureate Dr. Amartya Sen to provide Fellowships to deserving students from India at the University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. In early 2009, Government of India endowed the Columbia University with a grant of US$ 3.5 million for the creation of a fund named after Dr. B.R. Ambedkar that would provide fellowships in Indian constitutional studies in Columbia University. It may be recalled that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar had studied in Columbia University and was awarded a Ph.D. by that University way back in 1927.
Ladies and Gentlemen, nearly a hundred thousand Indian students enroll in the USA annually. India is poised to open up her doors to foreign educational institutions through the enactment of a Foreign Education Providers Bill. We are keen to establish partnerships with premier universities in USA to address challenges such as water, energy, healthcare, urban infrastructure, and environment. My colleague Mr. Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resource Development led a delegation to USA last year to discuss some of these initiatives.
Friends, I am happy to note that this unique exchange program in India is one of the largest Fulbright-programs worldwide. I am confident that our collaborative efforts in the educational sector will lead to increased joint research and development of new relevant technology and innovation for the mutual benefit of our two societies and the benefit of the world. I congratulate the United States-India Education Foundation for completing 60 glorious years of its successful program. I wish them a redoubled success in the future. I am confident that the Fulbright-Nehru Program will be instrumental in augmenting people-to-people linkages between two great democracies, India and USA.
May I conclude by remembering Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who wrote “Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.”
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