To strengthen the education ties with India, the Australian government has appointed former cricketer Adam Gilchrist as the nation’s inaugural education ambassador to India, reports NDTV.
Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne said:
“Adam will play an important part in supporting the growth in the strong bilateral education relationship between Australia and India, to help ensure that Australia continues to be seen as a high quality provider of education.”
He further added:
“The Indian people recognise Adam as one of cricket’s greats, and the values he espouses both on and off the field – excellence and integrity – are precisely those with which Australia aligns its reputation for high-quality education, training and research.”
The announcement was made by the minister prior to attending the Annual Ministerial Dialogue and third Australia-India Education Council meeting in New Delhi on August 24.
Gilchrist will join minister Pyne in New Delhi next week to help showcase the quality of Australia’s education systems.
Welcoming the challenge ahead, Gilchrist said:
“I am honoured to have been chosen to perform this important role in helping strengthen the education ties between our two countries. For the past seven years in my capacity as an ambassador at one of Australia’s best research universities I have seen first-hand the vital role education plays in the development of modern India.”
Upbeat about his new role, Gilchrist said that this would be his opportunity to strengthen his long relationship with India through the all-important focus of learning and training.