Hyderabad: The Telangana government and British Council will undertake a string of initiatives as part of a pilot project to reform higher education institutions in the state. Osmania University and Kakatiya University have been identified to work with Welsh universities (in the United Kingdom) to initiate the curriculum reform process.
For the latest education initiative, Global Wales, through the British Council, and the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) will begin implementation of the new initiatives aimed at elevating the standard of education in the state. Moreover, the Global Wales British Council exclusive scholarships will also be launched for Telangana students to study at Wales universities in 2021, said a press release on Thursday.
The decision was taken after the British Council, which is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural exchange, hosted a policy dialogue with stakeholders from Telangana to discuss the internationalisation of higher education institutions in the state.
The policy dialogue was followed by an announcement of the next steps on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Telangana and the Welsh Government in November 2020. The MoU facilitates the development of collaborative and mutually beneficial programmes in Telangana and contribute to increased research and social linkages in the field of Higher Education between the two entities, added the release.
Under the new projects, universities of Bangor and Aberystwyth from Wales will work in partnership with Osmania and Kakatiya University from Telangana. Over a three year period, the curriculum reform pilot will be extended to over 1,000 colleges positively impacting more than 800,000 learners, the release stated.
The scholarship programme will offer 16 scholarships worth Great Britain Pounds (GBP) £5,000, which will be given to the “brightest and best students” from Telangana universities to study a one year post-graduate master’s degree at one of the following Universities in Wales: Aberystwyth University, Bangor University, Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Swansea University, University of South Wales, University of Wales Trinity Saint David and Wrexham Glyndwr University.
“Each scholarship worth £5000 will contribute towards tuition fees for a one-year postgraduate course at a participating university, for the academic year from September/October 2021-22,” the release added. For eligibility criteria and process of applying, please log on to www.studyinwales.ac.uk/scholarshipse.
Professor. T. Papi Reddy, chairman of the Telangana State Council of Higher Education, said, “It is our vision for the state of Telangana to be at the vanguard of knowledge and we are certain that our partnership with the Government of Wales will help us realise our goal. The state of Telangana welcomes the new scholarship scheme that complements our own scholarship initiatives for our youth.”
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. it works with over 100 countries in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Global Wales is a partnership between Universities Wales, the Welsh Government, British Council Wales, and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), that provides strategic support to the Welsh higher education sector as a key export industry and builds networks for Wales internationally.