India’s SP Jain School of Global Management will open its first Australian campus, costing AUD 54 million (Rs 301 crore), in Sydney in December.

“The new AUD 54 million campus for one of India’s leading post-graduate business schools is set to open in Sydney on December 1, 2012,” Premier of New South Wales Barry O’Farrell said in an official statement.

The NSW Government and its education community which has been keen on deepening educational links with Indian side announced stronger ties with the SP Jain School, said in the release issued by the State Government.

O’Farrell said the investment is significant as it is the first Indian school to be set up in Australia with its own fully-fledged campus.

“This multi-million investment by SP Jain in a new Sydney campus will further enhance NSW’s reputation globally for excellence in education,” he said.

“NSW Trade & Investment in Sydney and our NSW Government trade office in Mumbai have also been working closely with SP Jain to support the establishment of the new Sydney campus,” he added.

SP Jain ranks in the Financial Times list of the world’s top 100 business schools and is the only foreign university to be formally accredited by the Department of Education and Communities in NSW, O’Farrell said, adding that the institution has a partnership with the University of NSW to enable student exchange between MBA programs.

“India is a vital market for Australian companies, and the establishment of an SP Jain Sydney campus will help fulfil the need for graduates, well-versed and capable of operating in Australia’s target markets,” O’Farrell said.

“Indian students account for more than 10,000 enrolments across all sectors in 2012 or around six per cent of total international student enrolments in the state,” he said.

The campus is expected to see a cohort of around 50 undergraduate students and 95 masters students, with numbers set to increase substantially in the coming year, he said.

The Premier also announced during his trade mission in India that international students will receive discounts on public transport, as part of ongoing efforts to promote the State as a world-class location for international education.

Eligible international students will receive discounts for public transport travel discounts of up to 35 per cent.

O’Farrell is on his second official trip to India in 12 months. During the one-week trade mission he is slated to visit Mumbai, Hyderabad and New Delhi and meet senior Government Officials, business leaders and investors.

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