Education Minister Pralhad Joshi has called for greater collaboration between India and Singapore to promote innovation and turn new ideas into practical solutions. Mr Joshi was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the 4th Singapore-India Hackathon in Singapore today. The three-day hackathon will continue until the 17th of this month. It brings together 120 young innovators, including 60 students from Singapore and 60 from India, who will work in 20 mixed cross-border teams.
Mr Joshi told 120 participants to think beyond boundaries as they seek innovative solutions. He highlighted India’s progress in innovation through initiatives such as the National Education Policy 2020, the Smart India Hackathon and Bharat Innovates. He emphasised the need for deeper institutional collaboration, sustained mentorship and innovation sandboxes between India and Singapore to take promising ideas beyond the prototype stage and turn them into practical, real-world solutions. He said both countries remain committed to empowering young minds to collaborate, create and develop solutions for a better tomorrow.
The Minister invited more Singaporean universities to establish campuses in India and sought Singapore’s expertise in developing the proposed University Townships, drawing on the NUS University Town model. He also proposed hosting the 5th India-Singapore Hackathon in India in 2027 and establishing a periodic conference of higher education institutions from both countries.
Earlier, in a social media post, Mr Joshi said the initiative reflects the growing strength of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries and their shared commitment to nurturing innovation and young talent.
Singapore’s Education Minister Desmond Lee, India’s High Commissioner to Singapore, Dr Shilpak Ambule, other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
During his visit, Mr Joshi also held a bilateral meeting with his Singaporean counterpart, Desmond Lee. The two Ministers discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in school and higher education, skill development, research and innovation. They also explored areas such as teacher and student exchanges, mutual recognition of qualifications, the use of artificial intelligence in education, emerging technologies and industry-academia partnerships.The Minister further invited Mr Lee to visit India to advance bilateral cooperation in education.
