The two-day International Education Fair (IEF) 2020 by The Hindu Chennai edition, began with the inaugural keynote by Robert G Burgess, US Consul General. The opening witnessed a number of college and high school students.
The event was power-packed with seminars, ranging from Rhea Cheryl Shivan’s session (Manager, Campus France, Embassy of France, Chennai) where she talked about study options in France, to Sudha Sudeep, Managing Director (Marketing and Communications), Beyon Education, who talked about how the Netherlands as the upcoming study destination, among many others. The seminars provided insights into how to make the right choice about courses, colleges, and most importantly, the right country.
“I always tell students to choose the university, and not the country. The university and quality of education matters. Do not jump to PR (permanent residency). First study and gain experience,” said Sudeep.
The stalls saw an attendance of Indian and foreign universities, visa and education consultancy firms, GRE/GMAT/IELTS coaching institutes and few banks. Representatives helped students and parents clear their doubts in their respective fields.
Expert speak
Talking about why The Netherlands is an upcoming study destination, Sudeep said, “It is one of the English-speaking countries in Europe which is a big aspect to consider, when students choose a university. English is the official language of all Netherland universities, and the locals too can speak English. So, this helps students feel comfortable and allows them to settle down smoothly. It is also one of the safest countries for students.”
“There are many government and university-sponsored scholarships for international students — they also get 16 working hours in a week, which helps them earn their bread,” continued Sudeep.
Amity Global Institute, Singapore, attracted huge crowds. “We are based in Singapore, but our awarding bodies are University of London, University of Stirling and University of Northampton. So, students get double benefit,” said Elisavet Georgaki, Marketing Manager, Amity Global Institute.
Students’ dreams
“We want to explore job opportunities abroad in finance. We would like to step out of our comfort zone, which is India. So, we came to this fair to seek advice on how to explore our options,” said CA students Lakshmipriya and Ganita.
Aravind, a data science aspirant, has his heart set on studying in the land of dreams. “I want to pursue a postgraduate programme in Data Science from the U.S., or Canada. Although I want to settle down in India, I want to head abroad to gain experience, and considering there are more job opportunities in the U.S., I am applying there. I came to this fair to gain some more information on these two countries in my field and it has been useful.”
