Remarks by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education, Singapore at the Signing Ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding for a Joint Graduate Engineering Degree programme between National University of Singapore (NUS) and Indian Institute of Tec

Remarks by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education, Singapore at the Signing Ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding for a Joint Graduate Engineering Degree programme between National University of Singapore (NUS) and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) on Tuesday, 29 March 2005 at 11:00 am at The Vista, University Hall, NUS

I am very happy to be here with Shri Arjun Singh, Minister of Human Resource Development, India at this event to establish a joint graduate programme between the National University of Singapore and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. It is a significant event between two leading universities, and between our two countries.

2 India has been a traditional source of many of the students in our universities, and not a few of our professors. This joint programme will bring this relationship to a new and higher plane. It brings an IIT presence to Singapore, a move which will surely benefit both countries.

3 The union of NUS and IIT Bombay, two of the world’s best engineering universities, will bring together talented students from around Asia and dedicated professors - and talented students and dedicated professors are what make any top university programme.

4 The joint programme between IITB and NUS will I hope be the first step towards a deeper IIT presence in Singapore, adding to the presence of top US, European, Japanese and Chinese universities.

5 The quality and reputation of IIT Bombay (IITB), and of the IITs as a whole, is well known around the world. Entry into the IITs is said to be ten times more difficult than getting into Harvard. The presence of an IIT in Singapore will add a new dimension to the spectrum of world-class university offerings in Singapore.

6 By the same virtue, the IITs would I am sure benefit from using Singapore as an extension of their campuses in India. Singapore will provide a platform for the IITs to attract top foreign students and faculty. It will also enable IIT students and faculty themselves the opportunity to be immersed in Singapore’s diverse and cosmopolitan environment, interacting with the bright minds from all over Asia and the rest of the world. So this will be a win-win partnership, a big plus for NUS and IITB as well as for the two countries, which we are excited about and keen to advance.

7 This joint programme is also another plank in the burgeoning relationship between India and Singapore. The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement between the Government of Singapore and the Government of India will soon be concluded. It will add momentum to the already rapid growth of trade, as well as to the movement of people between the two countries - entrepreneurs, scientists and technologists, students, tourists and indeed politicians.

8 And it is this human connectivity, and the growing intellectual, cultural and political cross-currents between India and Singapore which will ultimately grow the economic connectivity between the two countries. It is what gives us our sense of familiarity and proximity to each other, and what creates the trust that underpins the growth in our economic relationships over the long haul.

9 So I look forward to more exchanges in education between our two countries, not just in university education and research, but amongst our schools. It will help us learn from each other. And over time it gives Singapore advantage by having “India inside”, just as we hope India is advantaged by having a bit of “Singapore inside”.

10 Let me once again offer my heartiest congratulations to the management of IITB and NUS for coming together to launch a far-sighted initiative. I wish them both a fruitful partnership.