Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) recently hosted the New Zealand-India Education Connect program from February 8 to February 14, 2024. This programme primarily aimed to cultivate bilateral dialogue on research between New Zealand and India while promoting innovation, cultural exchange, and cooperation within international education frameworks.
During the event, delegates from New Zealand universities and Education New Zealand engaged with stakeholders from the education and government sectors in India. The main focus of the event was on enhancing dialogue regarding internationalisation and student mobility.
In a media roundtable held in New Delhi, Education New Zealand revealed the prestigious New Zealand Excellence Award (NZEA) Scholarship. However, they granted this opportunity to 27 Indian students to pursue studies at globally renowned New Zealand universities. Notably, the NZEA Scholarship program has supported more than 200 Indian students since 2016.
In 2023, Education New Zealand introduced a fellowship programme to foster collaborative research endeavours at the New Zealand Centre at IIT Delhi. This initiative further promotes sustainable research projects in crucial areas such as disaster management, climate change, environmental planning, and urban development, which in turn benefit both countries, i.e., India and New Zealand.
Moreover, the fellowship programme also encourages academic exchange and collaboration between universities in the two countries. Four academics from New Zealand and two from IIT Delhi were selected as fellows to advance joint research efforts at the New Zealand Centre.
Lisa Futschek, General Manager International at Education New Zealand, emphasised that India ranks as the second-largest source country for international students in New Zealand. The efforts are underway to strengthen this partnership through effective academic and research collaboration, while continuing to support initiatives aimed at enhancing student mobility between the two nations.
