More Indian schools in UAE, school-level student exchange between UAE and India planned

Abu Dhabi: Expanding Indian curriculum schools in the UAE and creating two-way school-level student exchange opportunities between the UAE and India are on the table after high-level education talks held in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met Sara Musallam, Chairperson of the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), at the start of his two-day visit to the UAE.

Both sides engaged in fruitful exchanges on mutual educational priorities, the Indian government said in an official statement.

Pradhan thanked ADEK for supporting the establishment of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi Abu Dhabi campus and for the continued support being extended to Indian curriculum schools in the UAE.

“They also had productive conversations on further expanding cooperation in education, including opening more Indian curriculum-based schools in the UAE to meet the educational needs of the Indian diaspora..."

The possible addition of more Indian curriculum schools in the UAE is expected to ease admission pressures for thousands of Indian expat families.

Another major area of discussion was facilitating two-way student exchanges between the UAE and India right from the school level.

The minister also highlighted the success of Atal Tinkering Labs in India, which nurture creativity and innovation among students. Plans are now being explored to introduce similar labs in Indian schools across the UAE, the minister said.

Pradhan appreciated Musallam’s willingness to strengthen educational cooperation and to establish education as one of the strongest pillars of bilateral ties.