Education exchanges between India and Canada to expand horizons in both Countries
 
Three British Columbia-India Education Agreements Signed on Premier Campbell's Mission to India

The University College of the Fraser Valley (UCFV) and the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design signed three education agreements with Indian counterparts on British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell's mission to India which was in early December 2007. UCFV signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with St. Andrew's College of Arts Science and Commerce in Mumbai to groom international professionals through joint study programmes, collaborative research projects, and exchange of researchers, teaching personnel and students. A second UCFV MOU was signed with the University of Mumbai to co-operate and expand education opportunities for students in India and Canada in Indo-Canadian Studies and associated research degrees. UCFV's third MOU to explore the development of a school for the digital arts was signed with the Emily Carr Institute and Mumbai's Gannon Group of Companies.

The OMG (Ontario-Maharashtra-Goa) Student Exchange Programme
A consortium of Ontario universities and a group of universities in Maharashtra and Goa have initiated a collaborative university student exchange programme which will enrich the quality of education of select students in Ontario and in Maharashtra and Goa. The Consortium comprises of Brock, Carleton, Guelph, Laurentian, McMaster, Nipissing, University of Ontario of Technology (UOIT), Ottawa, Queen's, Ryerson, Toronto, Trent, Waterloo, Western Ontario, Wilfred Laurier, Windsor and York & Glendon College. While the Maharashtra Universities include The Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS University), University of Pune, Indian Law Society, Shivaji University, Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey and St. Xavier's College.
The OMG Student Exchange Program has been created through a funding agreement between MTCU (Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities) of the Government of Ontario and OCAV (Ontario Council of Academic Vice-Presidents), representing the consortium of Ontario universities. A Program Committee (also known as the Steering Committee) consisting of representatives of all the participating universities guides the OMG Program and also reports back to OCAV.

The OMG programme also breaks new ground in scholarships awarded for students going in both directions. The OMG programme has been made possible through a grant from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities of the Government of Ontario, and through contributions of OMG member universities.

The Ontario-Maharastra-Goa" (OMG) programme is similar to the existing "Ontario / Baden-Württemberg" (OBW) and "Ontario / Rhône-Alpes" (ORA) programmes. Most universities have individual university to university agreements for student exchange programmes. The OBW, OMG, ORA programmes are different in that the agreements are between groups of universities in Ontario and abroad.

The OMG administrative office is located at a space made available by York University. Ms. Agnes Poleszczuk is the Program Manager for OMG. She is assisted by Ms. Violetta Damm, Program Assistant. The Academic Director of OMG is Prof. Lalu Mansinha from the University of Western Ontario.

An OMG office is being established at a space made available in the International Center of the University of Pune, near Mumbai in India.

A lot of the footwork for setting up the OMG has been initiated by Dr. Sheila Embleton, Vice-President Academic of York University and Chair of OCAV (Ontario Council of Academic Vice-Presidents) and Dr. Roopa Trilokekar of York University.

The first OMG exchange students are expected to arrive in Maharashtra, Goa and Ontario during 2008.

Courtesy www.omgprogram.org.