SASKATCHEWAN MOVES TO STRENGHTEN ACADEMIC TIES WITH INDIA

Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration Minister Rob Norris signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Dr. Braj Sinha on behalf of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute which formalizes an academic relationship between Saskatchewan and India.

The MOU supports a commitment made by Premier Wall in India in March 2011 to strengthen economic and academic relationships with India.

"India has become an increasingly important partner for Saskatchewan," Norris said. "Saskatchewan is India's largest trading partner in Canada, but this MOU will broaden the scope of our relationship to include education and innovation. This MOU will facilitate and foster even closer ties between our two jurisdictions and continue to support the growth of our knowledge economy."

"The Saskatchewan-Shastri MOU heralds a new era of Saskatchewan and India education collaboration," Dr. Sinha said. "This is the first provincial MOU to go forward in a tangible way and supports the agenda of the Canada-India Education Co-operation MOU announced by Prime Ministers Stephen Harper and Manmohan Singh recently."

AEEI will work with post-secondary partners in Saskatchewan to deliver on the objectives of the MOU that include:

• Promoting Saskatchewan-India education co-operation and collaboration;
• Raising Saskatchewan's education profile in India;
• Facilitating academic partnerships between post-secondary institutions in Canada and India; and
• Sharing information international education best practices in India.

"Over the past few decades, the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute has supported teaching, research and cultural partnerships between the University of Regina and a number of institutions in India - partnerships that will continue to grow with the signing of this important Memorandum of Understanding," University of Regina President and Vice-Chancellor Vianne Timmons said.

"As part of the Canadian Member Council of institutions, we have been privileged to receive and take part in numerous programs and activities delivered by Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute," University of Saskatchewan President Peter MacKinnon said. "We're honoured to be involved with an organization that promotes bilateral education linkages in Canada and India."

The Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute is a Canadian-based non-governmental organization dedicated to building and strengthening intellectual and cultural linkages through research, dialogue and exchange. The organization promotes understanding between the two countries through academic exchange.

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For more information, contact:

Richelle Bourgoin
Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration
Regina
Phone: 306-787-8153
Email: richelle.bourgoin@gov.sk.ca