Shri Kapil Sibal leaves Tonight for the First Indo-U.S. Higher Education Summit The U.S.-India Higher Education Summit will be held in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, October 13, 2011. The Summit will begin with opening statements by Shri Kapil Sibal and the Secretary of State of the US, Ms. Hillary Clinton. The Summit will be jointly hosted by the Government of India and the Government of the United States and attended by higher education leaders and government officials from the U.S. and India, as well as private sector leaders.

The objective of the summit is to further strengthen higher education collaboration and exchange between institutions in the United States and India through exploration of topics of mutual interest such as joint degrees, research partnerships, accreditation and quality assurance. In addition, the summit will highlight the importance of education as a pillar of the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue and set forth goals for deepening this aspect of our bilateral relationship in cooperation with the many excellent institutions of higher education in both countries.

The summit will feature a roundtable discussion on U.S.-India Higher Education Cooperation, co-chaired by senior officials from the U.S. and Indian governments. Prominent higher education and thought leaders will speak at a plenary session and in breakout sessions on topics crucial to expanding and strengthening higher education collaboration between our two countries.