France targets to attract 20,000 Indian students by 2025

In January 2021, India and France launched the Indo-French Year of the Environment to strengthen cooperation on climate issues and ensure coordination ahead of these multilateral events.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on April 13 announced that the country has set a target of having 20,000 Indian students in France by 2025. According to officials at the French Embassy, around 10,000 Indian students were studying in the European nation in 2019. Minister Le Drian said, “We have set a target — it is to have 20,000 Indian students in France by 2025, and we will make it. We want to bring French and Indian youth even closer. We will support the students during their stay in France… Living in France is quite something,” he said. While speaking at the event, the minister also revealed that in order to boost student mobility between the two countries, he has appointed 15 Alumni Ambassadors chosen from the prestigious France Alumni network.

The French minister mentioned that he got late in reaching the embassy for the event as he “had so many things to discuss” with his counterpart Union minister S Jaishankar. “We enjoy such a strong relationship that I got late. These alumni have pursued studies in the fields of science, management, art, culinary and social sciences and have become leaders in their respective fields in India. They signed a charter engaging them in the Alumni Ambassadorship Programme,” the minister added.

According to the reports, a discussion regarding experiences of living in France and ideas to improve student mobility between the two nations took place between the alumni ambassadors and the minister.

During his three-day visit to India, from April 13 to 15, the French foreign minister will meet Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar and is also expected to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The focus will be on strengthening strategic ties between the two countries, boost cooperation in several fields, particularly the Indo-Pacific, and participate in the Raisina Dialogue, according to a statement issued by the French Embassy. The minister will also preside over initiatives aimed at furthering people-to-people and cultural ties between France and India,” said the minister. A panel discussion at the French Embassy on boosting global action against climate change in view of COP26 also took place on Wednesday, where Minister Le Drian and Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar were also present.

In January 2021, India and France launched the Indo-French Year of the Environment to strengthen cooperation on climate issues and ensure coordination ahead of these multilateral events.

Read More:

• AICTE collaborates with NITI Ayog’s 'Atal Innovation Mission' to mentor school students