New Delhi [India] : Underscoring the role of education in the knowledge economy, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday said that quest for education has also been a powerful incentive for Indians to go abroad and it has laid the basis for the country’s strong ties across the world. “The quest for education has also been a powerful incentive for Indians to go to other countries. More than a million Indian students study abroad and by doing so they have laid the basis for strong relationships across many geographies,” said EAM Jaishankar in a video conference while addressing “Diplomatic Conclave” on Higher Education organised by Chandigarh University. “This is complemented by a long tradition of foreign students studying in India – currently about 50,000 from 164 nations,” he added. Jaishankar noted that the challenge today is to reimagine this two-way interaction and make it work better for the world as a whole. “In a sense, the issues are much bigger than education or the economy. It is reflecting a larger global rebalancing whose cultural and human resource aspects are very central,” he said. “It is only when the exchanges of ideas, creativity and knowledge are more diversified, then we can strive for a multipolar and democratic world. As a civilizational state, India has a particular interest in ensuring that the future takes into account the best from the past,” the minister added. Furthermore, Jaishankar said the nature of power is changing just as is the global architecture. “Countries will be increasingly defined by technology, innovation, ideas and talent. It should be their centrality that should be the subject of the greater discourse.” Apart from EAM Jaishankar, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla also spoke at the conclave.
