R. Sivarajan looked quite interested in the presentation by Kamran Khan, an Australian government representative, on opportunities in higher education Down Under. An electrical engineer in a private firm in Gujarat, he says as a student he was never aware of opportunities to study abroad as he was from a remote village in Villupuram district.
On a vacation, he was at the fourth edition of The Hindu Education Plus International Education Fair 2011 at the Taj Coromandel. “I will have to save up to pursue my Masters. We had no awareness about education in foreign countries. Now, even school children know the benefits of studying abroad,” says Mr. Sivarajan.
True to his words, numerous parents were seen accompanying their children to walk around the stalls learning about a plethora of options, beyond engineering and medicine. Canada is slowly opening the doors of its campuses to international students. “We have four offices in India. About 300 students enrol every year,” says Mel Broitman, director, international outreach, Canadian Application Centre.
“Over 100 students from the city find admissions in nine Russian medical universities recognised by the Medical Council of India,” says C. Suresh Babu, director, Study Abroad Educational Services, accredited by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation in India. The tuition fee and living expenses are far below the Western nations but the students will have to clear an eligibility test and serve with the government on return for a year to be recognised as an M.D (general physician) and practice medicine here, he says.
“The University of Bradford has a scholarship (fee reduction) of 2,000 pounds this academic year,” says John Waller, international officer.
There has been an increase in the number of enquiries but successful registrations were less, he says adding that the scholarships are limited to international students, especially for doctoral programmes.
“The statement of purpose has to be a clear and concise. It can make or break your application,” says C. Vijayalakshmi, educational advisor, United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF), at a seminar session as part of the fair. She asks students to be honest about their potential. .
“Never lie or present false statements or submit fake documents,” says Mathew Petitt, vice-consul, U.S. Consulate General, Chennai. “Fake documents mean permanent ban on entry into U.S. We appreciate honesty more than a good answer.”
The Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine, in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine will admit international students, based on the U.S. model, on its campus in Malaysia this September.
“The spirit of innovation, research and patient care, the hallmarks of Johns Hopkins University, will be available to students of South and South East Asia,” says David M. Trabilsy, Associate Dean for Admissions.
“Knowledge of some German is always beneficial,” says Stefan Balzter, director, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Information Centre, Chennai. There are over 800 international programmes in universities focussed on fundamental research and applied sciences.
“The Masters programme, with a range of options, offered by U.K. universities is for a year and will help students save money and help them start a career early,” says Kavipriya Karthik, Education UK-executive, British Council.
Sudha Sudeep, education promotion officer, Netherlands Business Support Office, says there are opportunities to study in areas of sustainable and renewable energy, architecture, agriculture, water technology and management. The universities help students in obtaining visas and health insurances, she adds.
Officers of the State Bank of India were at the fair explaining the process of obtaining educational loans to students and parents.
Mike Nithavrianakis, British Deputy High Commissioner, Chennai, inaugurated the fair, which concludes on Saturday.
