Javadekar announces April 18 as launch date for Study in India programme
HRD minster said that if six lakh Indians are going out to pursue higher education, the new mission for Study in India programme is to bring 10 lakh foreign students into the country.
Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar plans to launch the programme along with Sushma Swaraj on April 18. (PTI)
To increase the inflow of foreign students to Indian universities, the union human resource development (HRD) minister Prakash Javadekar, on Friday, announced April 18 as the launch date of the Study in India programme.
He was speaking as chief guest at the inaugural function of the international conference on Internationalisation at Home (IaH), via video conference. It had been organised by Symbiosis International (Deemed University) (SIU) and Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
“In the first phase of the initiative, we will be introducing it in 30 countries which can later be expanded to 60 more. Although, currently, we have only 160 institutes under our wing, as far as this programme is concerned, in the future however, we want to take it further to more than 1,000 institutions to provide wider choices for the foreign students. The main objective here is to transform India into an education hub,” said Javadekar.
He stated that almost six lakh Indian students leave the country every year to study abroad, while only about 40,000 foreign students come to India to pursue higher education. “We need to change that scenario and boost internationalisation in India. With time, due to its affordable and reliable medical treatment system, India has become a popular choice for westerners, especially for patients from the US, where medical treatment is very expensive.”
Further, he said, “The situation is same in case of undergraduate education there, and we need to utilise it, by making India a hub for quality and affordable education. So if six lakh Indians are going out, the mission for Study in India programme is to bring 10 lakh students into the country.” Javadekar plans to launch the programme along with Sushma Swaraj on April 18.
Speaking about the importance of higher education in India and the many challenges and opportunities, the minister said that the government’s first priority is to nurture the school system and improve teaching and learning processes, particularly in schools and colleges in rural India.
While, professor PB Sharma, president of Association of Indian Universities, was present as the guest of honour at the ceremony, other dignitaries included Symbiosis International chancellor SB Mujumdar, pro-chancellor Vidya Yeravdekar, vice-chancellor Rajani Gupte, along with vice-chancellors of other prominent institutes.
Speaking as the keynote speaker, porofessor Hans de Wit, director of Centre for International Higher Education (CIHE), Lynch School of Education, Boston College, said, “Internationalisation is not about recruiting international students for money, or a means to move up in rankings but to improve the quality of education, research, and contribute to the society. The future in this respect, is for the world to become one whole family.”
India should neither adopt easternisation nor westernisation, but internationalisation by combining eastern wisdom and western dynamism,” said chancellor SB Mujumdar.
Anita Patankar, deputy director, Symbiosis Centre for International Education; Vidya Yeravdekar, pro-chancellor, SIU; Hans de Wit, director, Centre for International Higher Education (CIHE), Lynch School of Education, Boston College; SB Mujumdar, chancellor, SIU; PB Sharma, president, AIU and Rajani Gupte, vice-chancellor, SIU, were present at the inaugural function of the international conference on Internationalisation at Home (IaH).
Source: Hindustan Times dated 7 April, 2018
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