Chandigarh, August 19:- The Department of Foreign Cooperation is continuously working towards connecting Haryana with the world through a ‘Go Global’ approach and expanding international opportunities for the youth. As part of this initiative, Chief Minister Shri Nayab Singh Saini interacted with foreign students studying at various universities in Haryana at Sant Kabir Kutir on Wednesday.
Addressing the foreign students present on the occasion, Chief Minister Shri Nayab Singh Saini said that the world is changing rapidly today. Artificial Intelligence, robotics and other modern technologies have created new opportunities in various fields, including education, healthcare and agriculture. In such a situation, young people need to keep learning continuously, adopt new technologies and move forward in step with the changing world. Moving ahead with a ‘Go Global’ approach, the youth should take advantage of global opportunities. He said that education is not the final stage of life, but the beginning of moving forward.
Students from 14 countries studying at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, and Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Mullana, participated in the interaction programme. During the programme, the Chief Minister directly interacted with the students regarding their studies and research work. He asked the students what new things they had learned in the subjects they were researching and how their experience in Haryana had been. The students also shared their experiences with the Chief Minister and spoke about education, research, the university environment, the culture of Haryana and their experiences with the people of the state.
**Education and Values Gained from Haryana Will Remain for a Lifetime – Chief Minister
Chief Minister Shri Nayab Singh Saini said that university life during the student years is not limited merely to obtaining a degree. The education, experiences and memories gained during this period remain with a person throughout life. Foreign students pursuing education in Haryana will share their experiences when they return to their respective countries. He said that these students can work as ‘brand ambassadors’ of Haryana and present a positive image of the state’s education, culture and experiences in their respective countries. The Chief Minister appealed to the students to use the knowledge and experiences gained in Haryana for the development of their own countries as well.
Chief Minister Shri Nayab Singh Saini said that Haryana is a historically and culturally rich land. On the sacred land of Kurukshetra, Lord Shri Krishna conveyed the message of Karma through the Bhagavad Gita. He appealed to the students to move forward in their respective fields with hard work, dedication and a continuous desire to learn. The Chief Minister wished all the students a bright future and said that the time spent in Haryana, along with the education and experiences gained here, is an invaluable asset of their lives which they will always carry with them.
**Haryana Government Believes in Heart-to-Heart, Not Just Government-to-Government Relations – Chief Minister
Chief Minister Shri Nayab Singh Saini said that the Haryana Government is not limited to G2G, or government-to-government relations, but believes in connecting with the world through H2H, or heart-to-heart connections. Promoting the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given the message of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’. The state government is taking this message forward.
He said that foreign students who have come to Haryana for education are not here merely to obtain degrees, but will also take with them experiences of Haryana’s culture, traditions and connections with its people. Through these students, ‘people-to-people connect’ will be strengthened, further strengthening mutual understanding, cooperation and trust between Haryana and their respective countries.
**Students from African Countries and Afghanistan Participate
Students from various countries, including African nations, participated in the interaction programme. A student from Afghanistan, who has completed her PhD from Haryana Agricultural University, also participated. She shared her seven-year experience of living in Haryana, and notably, conducted the entire interaction in Hindi.
Other students also shared their research and academic experiences with the Chief Minister and said that while staying in Haryana, they got an opportunity to understand not only their respective subjects but also Indian and Haryanvi culture.
**New Opportunity for Haryana Students to Study in the UK
Principal Secretary, Department of Foreign Cooperation, Smt. Amneet P. Kumar, informed the Chief Minister that continuous efforts are being made to provide more opportunities for students from Haryana to pursue education and research abroad. She said that soon students from Haryana would be able to pursue studies at a university in the UK, and a programme in this regard would be launched shortly.
She said that such initiatives would provide Haryana’s youth with opportunities to go abroad and learn new technologies, new subjects and better methods of education. At the same time, they would also get opportunities for better employment and career prospects in the future. The department is working to ensure that maximum number of young people from Haryana get opportunities to pursue education and advance their skills at the global level.
The Chief Minister emphasized increasing academic cooperation and MoUs between universities in Haryana and foreign universities. He also issued special directions regarding the visa process. He said that this would provide Haryana students with new opportunities for education and research abroad. At the same time, it would also help develop Haryana as a better and attractive education destination for foreign students.
**Foreign Students to Become Ambassadors of Haryana
Advisor to the Chief Minister in the Department of Foreign Cooperation, Shri Pawan Chaudhary, said that students from 14 countries are gaining education and research experience in Haryana. These students will return to their respective countries and share their experiences of Haryana, thereby promoting a positive image of the state as its ambassadors.
He said that increasing academic and research cooperation with universities and institutions abroad would create new opportunities for Haryana’s youth in higher education, skill development, internships, employment and international careers.
Foreign students studying in Haryana are not merely students receiving education, but also serve as bridges between the two countries in terms of educational, cultural and economic relations. Through their experiences, positive information about Haryana’s education, culture, agriculture, research and development model will reach different countries across the world.
During the programme, Director General of the Department of Foreign Cooperation Shri Ashok Meena, Deputy Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Shri Ajay Kumar, Vice Chancellor of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University Prof. Baldev Raj Kamboj, Dr. Asha Kawatra, Prof. Deepak Rai, Prof. Sanjeev Aggarwal and Dr. Roshni from Kurukshetra University, Joint Director of the Department of Foreign Cooperation Hina Bindalish, along with foreign students, were present.