From Our Correspondent
Melbourne (Australia): Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education, IT and Electronics Nara Lokesh visited the University of Tasmania (UTAS) and held discussions with senior university officials on academic collaboration in pharmacy, paramedical education, and rural healthcare research.
Lokesh was received by Professor Natalie Brown, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), and Professor Glen Jacobson, Head of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. The UTAS leadership briefed him on the university’s global standing — ranked in the top 2% worldwide (QS 2025), and a world leader in climate action, marine science, and oceanography. The university operates campuses in Hobart, Launceston, Sydney, and Tasmania, with over 40,000 students, including 15,000 international students.
Professor Brown said UTAS runs strong programs in pharmacy, nursing, rural health, and agriculture, and has ongoing collaborations with IITs in renewable energy and climate resilience, along with credit transfer and internship pathways for Indian students.
Minister Lokesh invited the University of Tasmania to collaborate with the Government of Andhra Pradesh in developing globally benchmarked curricula for pharmacy and paramedical courses, aligned with Australia’s rigorous accreditation standards. He suggested integrating AI and telemedicine tools into healthcare training and urged UTAS to support industry linkages for medical colleges and the AP Skill University.
Lokesh also proposed joint research projects on rural healthcare and drinking water management, focusing on Andhra Pradesh’s tribal regions and Tasmania’s remote communities. He sought student and faculty exchange programmes for pharmacy and nursing students, and skill certification initiatives aligned with Australian qualifications to improve global employability.
He said Andhra Pradesh aims to raise its health and skill education standards to international levels, and partnerships like this would “help bridge academia and applied healthcare for both regions.”