In a major push to Indian students and alumni, France has announced new initiatives to bolster academic excellence, cultural understanding, and long-lasting friendship between the two nations.
This comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited France as Chief Guest on country's Bastille Day on July 14, where India and France, both raised people-to-people ties as one of the three pillars of strategic partnership, an official release of French Embassy said.
President Emmanuel Macron announced France’s goal to welcome 30,000 students from India by 2030. This goal reflects France's view that enlarging its Indian student population will promote academic achievement, cross-cultural understanding, and enduring friendship between our two countries.
The establishment of "International Classes" in France will enable Indian students to flourish in their studies and easily transition to the French educational system. These specialised programmes will offer thorough training in the French language and other academic areas. This choice demonstrates France's dedication to facilitating the lives of Indian students as much as feasible.
A five-year Schengen circulation visa for Indian alumni was also announced during PM Modi's visit to France in July.
In a belief that when an Indian student spends even just a semester in France, it creates a connection that ought to be fostered and cherished, France announced that Indian students who hold a Master’s degree or above and have spent at least a semester studying in France are eligible for a 5-year short-stay Schengen visa, the press release said.
This is a special provision for Indian alumni to enable them to keep close links with France and their French counterparts. In order to implement these initiatives, France has also decided to strengthen its Campus France network in India with additional staff and resources.
Commenting on these announcements, the official press release quoted the Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain as saying: “Our teams are working double time to implement the decisions taken by President Macron and Prime minister Modi in Paris to benefit students.
"My message for Indian students: France will always be your friend, and we will do everything possible to ensure you have an amazing academic and life experience in our country.”
In light of these declarations, the French Institute in India and the Embassy of France are excited to announce the Choose France Tour 2023, which will be organised by the French Government and Campus France. Organised by the the education fair, it will be held in four major Indian cities, namely Chennai (October 8), Calcutta (October 11), Delhi (October 13), and Mumbai (October 15).
It will give Indian students and their parents a fantastic opportunity to speak with representatives of the more than 40 French higher education institutions that will be present at the market and learn about a variety of study alternatives, the press release of French Embassy in India read.
With 570 French companies employing more than 400,000 staff in India, graduates with French qualifications gain access to a wide spectrum of career prospects, and the chance to work with globally renowned organizations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron during their meeting in July in France agreed that the relationship between India and France has been resilient in the darkest storms and bold and ambitious in riding the high tides of opportunities.
The two leaders noted that the diplomatic and political engagements between India and France are among their "closest and most trusted." PM Modi and French President Macron called the defence and security partnership between the two nations "strong."
Diaspora are bringing the relationship closer to the people and sowing the seeds of future partnerships.
(ANI)