Set aside politics, government policies and diplomatic strategies and you find a healthy people-to-people connection and the heart-warming welcome that keeps the ties strong between two countries. This is also perhaps why Indian students continue to explore academic choices on offer in the nine universities across Wales, despite the tightening of visa rules by the British Government.
Ever since the Post Study Work (PSW) visa option was withdrawn in the U.K. in April 2012, there is no denying the fact that the Indian student enrolment has seen a huge drop of almost 50 per cent to U.K. institutions. Yet, Wales which is a part of U.K., but perhaps with a profile not as high as England or Scotland, is keen to attract Indian students.
According to the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, in the years to come, the European industry is bound to witness proliferation and specialisation and it would pay off to attract the best from across the world into specialised areas of expertise. Given India’s hard working and young entrepreneurial profile and rapidly advancing economy, it would be foolhardy to allow other nations to take advantage and beat Wales as a destination for top Indian students.
Currently, there are about 2,000 students studying in the nine universities in Wales that offer opportunities in engineering, aeronautics, automotive, renewable energy, apart from management, medicine, law and life sciences and multiple vocational skill development courses among several others. At the turn of the decade, there were close to 5,000 Indian students on the campuses put together and earlier they were allowed to work in the U.K. for two years after completing their studies.
Concern arose when the option was closed and the British Government cited it was not operating as intended and a large number of Indian students continued to remain unemployed or engaged in low-skill jobs.
But Mr. Jones feels it is a matter of perception and he, as the head of Welsh government, is keen to build, push and strengthen the partnership with India. In fact, majority of the Indian students, this correspondent interacted with, said they form a bond with Wales by the time they finish their studies and are inclined to stay on. Some others choose to stay back by joining some other additional programme that would boost their CV.
These students, says Carwyn Jones, are tomorrow’s leaders and our true ambassadors. They are not migrants and should not be made soft targets. “The unintended consequences of visa regulations will deprive our universities of excellent source of revenue and international recognition,” he notes.
Reiterating his commitment to developing educational and economic links with India, Mr. Jones points out that with local support from industrialists and philanthropists, funding for the U.K. India Education Research Initiative (U.K.IERI) has been extended for three years to facilitate the Welsh universities, committed to working with their Indian counterparts, in their research, innovation and educational activity in the global economy.
Many departments also plan to modify the curriculum schedule to enable students to gain more experience before the course gets over. Several pan-Wales projects provide vital funding for apprenticeships, traineeships and a wide range of research and innovation projects and are not just funded by Europe. “Bridges have been built and we have to ensure that they are not burnt,” says Mr. Jones.
The Welsh Government is responsible for the implementation of at least 20 distinct and discrete areas of EU regulation in the laws and policy of Wales. One of those vital 20 areas of devolved responsibility is higher education and much of the funding and organisation of research activity.
But if countries like Germany, Australia, Singapore, Canada, China and Malaysia are allowed to take advantage of the British Parliament’s positioning, the Welsh Government will find it increasingly hurtful with its economy falling behind. Indian students contribute more than £150 million to the State’s economy and the government is not in a mood to overlook this. At a time when Wales is in the forefront of a growing global trade boom, the Brexit referendum has projected that it isn’t the country the world thinks it to be.
But assures Mr. Jones, “Our approach is different. The political values at the heart of the Welsh Government are different. We want the U.K. Government to take international students out of net immigration targets and will continue to press this case,” he told a gathering at Bangor University.
The Wales vision is global and the First Minister pushes to keep working on foresight and forecasts for the industry 10 years down the line.
It is a vital roadmap for prosperity that will allow Wales to attract and retain the brightest and the best. “We have a choice — either to sit quiet or keep making noise,” he says, and assures, “We will continue to press for our case because we are interested in building relationships not walls.”
The writer was in Wales as part of an education familiarisation trip.
