French envoy Emmanuel Lenain calls boost ties in education, research and culture to reshape post-pandemic world

As Paris and New Delhi gradually emerge from coronavirus lockdown, French ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain on Monday called for seeking opportunities to boost partnerships in education, research and culture in a bid to reshape the post-pandemic world as well as achieve a common future.

"The strategic partnership between India and France is nurtured through strong people-to-people ties. As France and India gradually emerge from their lockdowns, their exchanges will serve as building blocks for a new world and a common future. Trusted global scientific collaboration is the need of the hour since no country can achieve a breakthrough alone," the ambassador said in a statement.

"Our country recognises that education will play a critical role in shaping a post-pandemic world, and thus reiterates that Indian students and researchers are welcome in France," it read.

France will continue to welcome Indian students for higher studies, ensuring their safety and well-being. Visas and scholarships have also been extended wherever necessary, the envoy stated.

For new students, France is fully geared up to enable the commencement of the academic year through virtual classrooms, if necessary. It is hoped that students will be able to join their classes in France later in autumn, if not in September, he said.

France has also augmented its proportion of scholarships by 50 per cent - equivalent to 10 crore rupees- for this academic year. These scholarships will be awarded regardless of whether a student starts the semester in India or France, as Indian students are still keen on following their dreams in France.

The Embassy will orgse a virtual version of its bi-annual "Choose France Tour" at the end of September for the intake of students for the 2021 academic session. This will enable a greater number of French institutions to interact with Indian students, reaching aspiring scholars from all over India, the envoy said.

Alliance Francaise centres, present in more than 13 cities, have arranged for online classes during lockdown, thus ensuring continuity in French language lessons for their 31,000 plus students. They can now reach any internet-connected part of India. Likewise, professional training programmes for teaching the French language, such as ProFLE+, have also become more popular.

Meanwhile, on the scientific front, the third edition of the Indo-French Knowledge Summit scheduled in Pune in 2021, is supposed to bring health and environment into greater focus, Lenain said.

On the cinematic front, while the Festival of Cannes will be missed, the ambassador noted the film market will be held online in June along with the professional meetings for the film industry.

On the artistic front, the Embassy is continuing collaborations with its Indian partners. People will be witnessing the launch of the Serendipity Arles grant, which opens up opportunities for artists from South Asia to participate in the Arles Photography Festival next year.

The Assises Internationales du Roman/Villa Gillet, in Lyon recently saw the virtual participation of Indian writers. Further, India will remain the Guest of Honour Country at the 2021 Paris Book Fair, for which preparations are underway, the envoy said.

( With inputs from ANI )