EDUCON 2011 to gather over 60 Vice Chancellors and Senior Academiafrom India in Dubai

Dubai Knowledge Village, a member of TECOM Investments Education Cluster, today announced its partnership with Sakal Media Group to host EDUCON 2011, an annual conference on higher education thatfacilitates dialogue among stakeholders in the education sector as part of an objective to shape India’s higher education policy.

KapilSibal, Hon. Minister of Human Resources Development, Government of India, will inaugurate the four-day conference that will be held from 16-19 September at the Crowne Plaza in Dubai and bring together over 60 Vice-Chancellors from Indian universities, as well as senior academia and policy makers.Previous editions of the conference have been held at Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Colombo.

Dubai Knowledge Village will leverage its participation at the conference to interact with leading scholars, experts, deans, directors and owners of top-tier Indian educational institutes to discuss progressive strategies of higher education and avenues of collaboration.

Dr Ayoub Kazim, Managing Director, TECOM Investments’ Education Cluster, will deliver a presentation at the conference highlightingthe opportunities for vocational and training institutes to establish their branch campus in Dubai.

The UAE’s well-equipped education infrastructure and business focus along with its free zone benefits make it attractive for vocational providers to set-up operations in Dubai Knowledge Village. Additionally, vocational training can help sustain growth that is largely dependent on knowledge based economies. It also supports the integration of young people into the labour market and enriches the skills of working professionals by making it easy for them to adapt to a rapidly growing and competitive industry.

Dr Kazim said: “There is an immense potential for sharing best practices between India and the UAE that can be leveraged through initiatives such as the EDUCON conference. At Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai International Academic City,we aim to provide education with the perspective of enhancing the employability of students within the UAE as well as the global corporate landscape.”

TD Joseph, Network Head-Events, Sakal Media Group, said: “We are highly impressed with the offerings at Dubai Knowledge Village and can gauge the zeal and passion of TECOM Investments in creating the free zone. It is a privilege to be associated with this state-of-the-art facility for our conference on higher education. We are confident that ourcollaboration with DKV will help us explore synergies for business, as well asknowledge and expertise-sharingopportunities betweenboth nations in the area of education.”

EDUCON 2011 will additionally witness the participation ofRajesh Ankushrao Tope, Hon. Minister of Higher and Technical Education from the State of Maharashtra,as well as representatives fromthe Association of Indian Universities (AIU), National Assessment and Accreditation Council of India (NAAC), All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (MSBTE) and Consortium of Management Education.

TECOM Education Cluster, that includes Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai International Academic City, is currently home to prominent Indian universities, including ManipalUniversity, BITS Pilaniand S P Jain Center of Management. Over60 per cent of its 18,000-student strength comprise undergraduates from the Indian subcontinent.

Dubai Knowledge Village hosts a number of Indian vocational training institutes including EMDI Institute of Media and Communication, Frankfinn Institute of Airhostess Training, The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and MRI Worldwide.