India on Tuesday urged the United Kingdom to remove barriers that hinder Indian students’ mobility as it made a strong pitch for recognition of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) certificates in the universities of that country.

Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani also urged the British High Commissioner James David Bevan to see if the scores of the International English Language Test System (IELTS), needed for admissions in UK varsities, could be made valid for three years.

The scores of the test are currently valid for just one year. This came after the British High Commissioner called on Smriti at her office here.

“The minister stressed that one of the basis for collaboration should be to remove barriers that hinder student mobility. Citing examples, she highlighted that while prestigious universities like Oxford recognise India’s CBSE certification, most other universities in the United Kingdom do not,” the HRD Ministry said in a statement.

Smriti also urged the British High Commissioner that visa norms should be made more facilitative for Indian students.

“Other areas of collaboration between the two countries that were discussed include partnering for the Massive Open Online Courses and the National e-Library being planned to be developed by India as well as sharing of expertise in the field of school education and teachers’ training,” the ministry said.

The High Commissioner reiterated that the UK government was keen to further strengthen its collaboration with India in the field of education and research, it added.