US experts admit higher education standards in India are improving, push for cross-varsity ties.
Obama’s visit to the country has not just revved up business, but India’s higher education sector has also received a fillip.
For the first time, the Institute of International Education (IIE), a US nonprofit which documents international exchange of people and ideas, has conducted an individual study to examine the Indo-US exchange of students.
The US body has admitted that the decline the number of Indian students in US campuses is due to the changing economy and the booming higher education sector in the recent years which is encouraging students to pursue graduation in the country itself.
Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal’s initiatives have also been appreciated in the report.
The statement, released by NGO Open Doors, which is supported by the US bureau of education and cultural affairs, says, “While several studies have shown that the US remains the preferred destination for Indian students, recent reports also indicate that changes in the home country’s economy and higher education sector in recent years have encouraged Indian students to pursue graduate education or enter the job market in India.”
The statement goes on to say that Sibal has “committed himself to policies focussed on building capacity within higher education in India to educate more students. His policies also support developing linkages with foreign partners to advance the country’s participation in international education. His leadership plays a role in the larger context of the Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative, designed to build an enhanced Indo-US strategic partnership in education.” The IIE will be working towards increasing the study abroad capacity in India, stated the release.
According to KP Singh, who runs a consultancy service for US education, the nation is attracting Indians in a big way now.
“A lot of US universities are setting up centres in our country. Universities, which have stayed away so far, are setting shops here. India, for the first time, has been officially recognised as a separate entity in the Open Doors survey. Other countries like China, South Korea and Japan, though important, send most students to the US for studying English, which is not the case with India,” said Singh.
He added that Obama’s interaction with youth in Xavier’s College could also be seen as a means to enamour Indian students. “The Open Doors survey shows that the trend is encouraging traffic both ways. For Indian students, the US is a major education destination. But there are several institutions which are coming here as well. So the opportunities for students are going to go up,” said Singh.
Obama has already increased the number of scholarships for Indian students. The US and Indian governments recently signed a new Fulbright agreement, doubling the number of Fulbright-Nehru grants for American and Indian students and scholars.
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