In Uttar Pradesh, the cabinet minister for industries and infrastructure development Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi on Tuesday said that the potential for investment in the education sector service sector was immense. The minister cited six central and 59 state universities, 11 deemed universities, which include the Bhatkhande Music University, IIT Kanpur and Banaras Hindu University, AIIMS Rae Bareli and Gorakhpur, IIIT Lucknow and Prayagraj, Sanjay Gandhi, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences and King George’s Medical University et cetera. 

“The long list of quality educational institutions in the state surely speaks for the potential the state has in extending service in this area,” Nandi said speaking to the department of export promotion. The theme for Tuesday’s programme was ‘education’, the lecture series ‘export promotion in service sector’. 

Nandi on official data said, “Numbers indicate that students from over 150 countries of the world head to India for educational purposes. But while most of these youths come for graduate-level courses, few stay back for further studies. Efforts must be made to attract these students to UP while academicians back home must go beyond conventional realms to harness revenue from their expertise.” 

Additional chief secretary, MSME and export promotion, UP, Navneet Sehgal said that export would be an important determinant towards the achievement of the trillion-dollar economy goal.  

Sehgal said, “While steps taken in the past have helped in improving export from the state, further growth in the area can be achieved with the help of services.”  

Sehgal said, “IT and ITES, tourism and wellness, logistics and education would be promoted.” On education, Sehgal added, “Education services can bring investment while aiding the process of building Brand UP. Experts are of the view that steps like job placements, specialisations and value-addition to existing programmes can help in attracting investment through the education sector.” 

Alok Kumar said, Principal Secretary, Medical Education, “The role of the government was that of a facilitator and the players will have to take the lead and think out of the box,” saying about the key stakeholders of the education sector. 

Alok Kumar added, “At our end, the medical education department has increased the number of seats across different medical and supporting programmes like nursing, technicians and paramedical staff. But each educational institute will have to think uniquely and evolve to meet the needs of the changing world.”