Nick McCaffrey, Deputy High Commissioner of the Australian High Commission (Image credit: X handle)

CHANDIGARH: A delegation from a consortium of six top universities in Australia, led by Nick McCaffreyDeputy High Commissioner of the Australian High Commission, on Wednesday met Chief Minister Nayab Saini and expressed interest in setting up a campus, in Gurugram, to offer undergraduate courses.
The Australian delegation also included Mathew Johnston, Minister Counselor, Education and Research, Australian High Commission, as well as Professor Simon Biggs, President of the IRU, Vice-Chancellor and President of James Cook University, as well as representatives from universities.
Saini welcomed the delegation and assured them of the full support and cooperation of the state government, including providing an existing building to start the campus and all other necessary facilities.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed soon in this regard. The chief minister further said that the state has a foreign cooperation department to meet foreign needs. The Department of Foreign Cooperation will coordinate other sites in accordance with the requirements of Australia’s Innovative Research Universities (IRU).
With the establishment of the campus, students will no longer need to travel to Australia as they will be able to pursue undergraduate courses right here in Haryana. On completion of their studies, they will receive a certificate from the Australian university, which will open doors to lucrative job opportunities, not only in Haryana but across the world. This initiative will help Haryana students save on high tuition fees and other expenses associated with studying abroad. After grade 12, students at this campus will have the opportunity to pursue four-year integrated courses in software engineering, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), financial technology, tourism and hospitality, and sports management. The range of courses will be gradually expanded as state and community needs evolve.
Chief Secretary Vivek JoshiChief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Rajesh Khullar, Higher Education Department Principal Secretary D. Suresh, Foreign Cooperation Department Advisor Pawan Chaudhary and Maharshi Dayanand University Vice-Chancellor Rohtak Prof Rajbir Lohan were also present at the meeting.