Pralhad Joshi Meets French Minister Philippe Baptiste in Delhi

Union Minister for Education Pralhad Joshi held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi with Philippe Baptiste, France's Minister for Higher Education, Research and Space. The two ministers went over ways of widening cooperation between India and France in education, research, innovation, academic mobility and partnerships between institutions.

The setting

The French Minister is in India on a three-day visit from 28 to 30 September 2026. Welcoming him and his delegation, the Indian minister recalled how old the India-France partnership is and said that education is one of the important pillars holding up the relationship. He added that the India-France Year of Innovation 2026 offers a well-timed opening to take collaboration in education, research and innovation further.

What the two sides discussed

• Stronger links between institutions of the two countries
• Movement of students, faculty members and researchers between India and France
• More joint academic programmes and exchange opportunities
• Wider cooperation in life sciences, social sciences and the humanities
• Language learning, teacher education and technology-enabled learning

Branch campuses and mutual recognition

French higher educational institutions were invited to consider opening branch campuses in India. Two kinds of location were suggested: GIFT City in Gujarat, and places where French companies are already present and need trained technical manpower.

The ministers also took up the revision now under way of the Mutual Recognition of Qualifications (MRQ) Agreement between the two countries. Such an agreement matters to students because it decides whether a degree earned in one country is accepted in the other for further study or for employment. Alongside it, the two sides spoke about sharing experience and good practice in digital education and using technology to widen access to quality learning.

How the meeting closed

Both sides ended by restating their intention to deepen India-France cooperation in higher education, research, innovation, language education and digital learning. For an aspirant, the meeting is a useful marker of how education has moved into the working part of the bilateral relationship, alongside defence and space.