Education agreement with India

New Zealand and India have concluded a formal education agreement which ministers are describing as a significant achievement.

It was signed today by Education Minister Anne Tolley and India's Minister for Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal.

Mrs Tolley said India, with a population of 1.1 billion, was a key education market for New Zealand.

"A formal agreement such as this is a significant achievement for New Zealand considering the relative size and scale of our two nations and is testament to our high quality education system," Mrs Tolley said.

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said education was New Zealand's fifth largest export earner and was vital to the growth of the economy and the tertiary sector.

"It's essential we maximise our opportunities in this area and that we are able to compete with other countries for international students," he said.

The agreement follows talks in Delhi earlier this year and includes collaborative projects, open and distance learning, research cooperation, teacher education and development and quality assurance.

New Zealand and India have also agreed to encourage the exchange of officials and personnel.

- NZPA