Students pursuing or considering a Master’s degree from the UK have reason to cheer. The UK and India have agreed to work out a mechanism through which the one-year Master’s programmes offered in the UK would be equivalent to a two-year degree in India.

Till now, the one-year courses offered in the UK were not recognised by India, making it difficult for students to pursue further education or research, or to teach here.

Sources said the University Grants Commission (UGC) was looking at ways by which the UK degrees could become acceptable in India. One of the proposals under consideration is that students with a Master’s degree from the UK could pursue a one-year bridge course in an Indian university, making them eligible for further studies as well as jobs here.

Such students could also be eligible to take the UGC National Eligibility Test and join the academic profession.

Teacher training

A joint statement issued here on Tuesday also said that the UK Open University and the Indian Government would join hands to find a solution to one of the most crucial problems facing the Indian education sector – teacher training. With support from the British Council and UK Aid, the Indian Government and the UK Open University are looking at training about one million teachers in the country, by using innovative technologies, including Web-based training.

The two countries also agreed to look at developing new methodologies for training English teachers, in collaboration with State Governments and the Central Board of Secondary Education.

> aesha.datta@thehindu.co.in

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