http://www.the-week.com/25sep11/curr..._article10.htm

Foreign universities are aggressively wooing Indian students. Easy availability of education loans provides the right thrust

By Deb****** Mukerji

The world is their oyster. Knowledge factories across the world are now luring young Indians. A little over a decade ago, the only destination for Indians seeking a foreign education was the United States, with a handful going to Britain. No more. Now Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland are virtually pushing and jostling one another to woo Indian students. In the past five years Britain, too, has become proactive.

Even non-English speaking countries which run English language courses in select subjects have targeted Indian students: top hotel management schools in Switzerland; leading business management institutes in France, Holland and Japan; medical colleges in China, Russia, eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (11 former Soviet republics). "Countries like Sweden, Croatia, Cyprus, South Africa and Malaysia, too, are jumping into the fray," said Kuldeep Singh Gujral, who runs Indo Horizon Education Service, one of the many agencies which help students to go abroad.

Hard sell: Deakin University
officials making a presentation to
Indian students

What explains the growing charisma of students from India in the eyes of foreign universities? The reasons have more to do with the universities themselves than with Indians. "Universities all over the world are short of money, because government support is either stagnant or has been reduced," noted Gujral. "International students—and that includes Indians—are required to pay twice or three times the fees of local students for the same course. Thus it is much more profitable for these institutions to enrol foreign students than local ones."

Agreed Andrew Flitman, dean of Science and Technology, Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, who visited India recently: "We have excellent facilities at Deakin, and to maintain their standard, we need to attract international students who pay higher fees." The universities were always keen to induct foreign students, but earlier immigration departments of many countries were reluctant to hand out too many student visas to foreigners. Australia, for instance, had a virtual 'whites only' policy on immigration till 1976.

Thus in contrast to the US where—especially at the postgraduate and research levels—most Indian students partly or wholly finance their education through scholarships and assistantships, there are hardly any scholarships available in these countries. The universities are interested only in students paying their full fees. They are allowed to work, if they can find it, 20 hours a week to finance their stay, but that's it.

If I get through CAT, I'll remain in India. Or I may join for MBA in Sydney.
Etisha Sharma, student

Yet, why the focus on India? "Clearly because foreign universities have realised there is a market in India," said Ruchika Castellino, who heads the Education India section of the British Council. According to Gujral, though it is a very small percentage of the Indian population, the number of students who can afford to pay is fairly substantial. Education loans have expanded this number.

"India is a good market because there is great emphasis on education here," said Rodney Briggs, president of the Canada Education Centre (CEC) network, with 17 offices around the world to woo international students, including one in New Delhi. "Parents are eager to spend liberally on their children's education." Jugnu Roy, trade development commissioner in the New Zealand high commission in Delhi, says "the educational system in India provides a strong foundation".

Indian fluency in English is an asset in English speaking countries. "Indian students' communication skills are very high," endorsed Flitman. "Students from Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines speak English well too, but none of them can match the Indians."

Most English speaking countries have pulled all stops to attract Indian students. First off the block was Australia which began its Indian foray in the early 1990s. Every year it holds education fairs in major Indian cities which representatives from most of its 40 universities and a host of technical institutions attend; the high commission runs a full-fledged education department which guides aspiring students; and half a dozen Australian universities have set up liaison offices in Delhi. All of them have appointed 'education agents'—76 across the country—to draw students into their fold. The number of Indian students in Australia, as a result, has risen from fewer than 1,000 in 1992 to 20,000 at present.

Canada was the next to move in with the CEC setting up its Delhi office in 1997 and holding an annual education fair in India since then. Most of its 92 universities have appointed Indian agents as well. Indian students in Canada have risen from 300 to 3,000 now.

New Zealand and Britain moved in, with the dawn of the 21st century. In 2000, eight universities and 14 technical institutes of New Zealand formed the India Education Export Network, holding an education fair every September and appointed around 30 agents. Earlier there were hardly any Indian student in New Zealand; now there are around 2,500.

Britain has appointed nearly 100 agents and holds education fairs every year. Eight British universities have opened liaison offices in India in the last three years: the number of students from India has shot up from 2,000 in the late 1990s to 15,000 now. Ireland was the last of the English speaking countries to enter in 2001: Indian students there number about 1,000. Since then select institutes running English language courses in other countries are also trying hard: last month, two professors from the medical college at the University of Debrecen in Hungary travelled all the way to New Delhi to interview just five Indian students who were seeking admission there. "The trip was worth it," said Csilla Kerekgyarto, educational director of the medical college. "There is strong competition among universities in Hungary to get the best international students."

Yet cost matters. The cost of a degree from any institution in every one of these countries is substantial. Canada's main sales pitch—emblazoned even on a relevant Web site—is that it provides the cheapest education among the competing countries: the average annual tuition fee for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses is around 6,000 Canadian dollars; adding living expenses, a student can get by on 16,000 Canadian dollars or around Rs 5 lakh. A year spent studying in New Zealand would cost only a little more, but in Australia it would be around Rs 8 lakh. In Britain or the US it would be about Rs 11 lakh.

Why are so many Indian students—or their parents—ready to pay these exorbitant sums? Even education loans have to be repayed some day. "It is because the seats available for higher education in quality institutes in India are very few, compared with the number of students aspiring for them," said Vivek Srinivasan, spokesman for University 21 Global, a Singapore-based online business school, which has been strongly targeting Indian students. "There are 958 MBA programmes in India, but only about 20 of them guarantee a good job. Those who don't get into those 20 are bound to, if they have the money, look beyond Indian shores."

Thus it is largely those who aspire but fail to get into top Indian institutions who turn to colleges abroad. Their criteria for admission—so long as full fees are paid—are relatively less rigorous. "I'll be taking the CAT (common admission test to the top Indian business schools) exam in November," said Etisha Sharma, who graduated this year in hotel management from a Bangalore college. "If I get through I'll remain in India. But the competition is very tough. So I've also applied for an MBA course at the University of Technology, Sydney, which I'm likely to get."

Mohammed Faisal, who finished school in Aligarh this year, couldn't get through the common pre-medical test (CPMT), but is determined to be a doctor. "I searched the Net for English language medical courses, which were reasonably priced, in Europe and discovered the medical college at Debrecen University in Hungary. I've been selected," he said.

Warm welcome: Debrecen University officials interview Mohammed Faisal (left), who wants to study medicine, as Gujral looks on

The six-year course will cost Faisal around Rs 30 lakh. "Had Faisal joined a private medical college in India, it would have cost around Rs 25 lakh," said his grandfather S.H. Mohsin, who accompanied him to Delhi for his interview. "So the difference isn't all that much, and he gets international exposure."

Why didn't Faisal choose an English speaking country? Unlike other courses offered, medical education in these countries is prohibitively expensive (tuition fee alone comes to Rs 15 lakh). Those looking beyond Indian medical colleges have perforce turned to east European and CIS countries, Russia and most of all China. "In China there are medical courses where the tuition fee is as low as Rs 75,000 a year," said Gujral. But as with all seemingly marvellous bargains, there may be a catch: the quality of teaching.

In July last year, a minor diplomatic flutter arose when Indian students at three Chinese medical colleges complained to the Indian embassy in Beijing that they had been lured to these institutions with false assurances.

One medical college did not run any English language medical course at all; at another, crucial infrastructure did not exist and classes in most subjects were not being held! Ambassador Nalin Surie protested to the Chinese education ministry, and aspiring medical students were warned to check the credibility of the institution they were planning to join with the Chinese embassy in Delhi before seeking admission. No wonder, the better medical schools in China—like the China Medical University in Beijing—have begun emphasising on their Web sites that their curriculum has the approval of the Medical Council of India (MCI).

Many aspiring doctors who joined cheap medical schools in countries like Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Belarus in the late 1990s had a similar experience. The courses, though in English, turned out to be of dubious quality: after years of study, most of those who had gone there failed the MCI screening test for a licence to practise in India. Some even petitioned the Supreme Court against the MCI decision and got a one-time waiver.

The matter was so serious that in September 2001, the MCI amended its rules to include the provision that all those wanting to study medicine abroad must take an eligibility certificate from it before leaving Indian shores. "The MCI checks whether the course is recognised by the WHO or not, and fulfils other basic provisions," said Gujral. "But even this is not foolproof as the experience of the students stranded in China last year proved."

The real culprits in many cases are unscrupulous education agents who extract large sums of money from aspiring students. "In the 1990s it was awful," said Sonya Singh, who runs Sonya International Education Centre in Delhi. "Embassies of most countries have always had a fairly transparent system of granting admissions or visas. But many students did not know this. Not knowing the procedures, or fearing rejection, they went to agents who often milked them of lakhs of rupees."

Matters have since improved: the agents of Australian institutions have even formed the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India, whose members are required to abide by a code of ethical procedures. They can charge no more than Rs 10,000 per student (some like Gujral or Sonya charge nothing at all) while the institutions that employ them are held accountable if they misbehave.

No other country has put its education agents on any such leash, but they have all begun to keep a watchful eye. "We are not a policing agency," said Ruchika Castellino. "If we get a complaint about any British education agent, we promptly inform the institution that employs him, and action is usually taken." The malaise, however, has not entirely disappeared. "There are still cheats everywhere," said Sonya.

Australia and New Zealand have two major advantages over all the other countries wooing Indian students. One, if a student has obtained admission in a bona fide institution and has sufficient funds, he is never refused a visa. "It is still the third choice of most Indian students as a foreign study destination after the US and the UK," said Flitman. "Australia is safer since its visa issuing system is perfectly transparent, with very little discretionary powers for the visa officers. With the US, especially after 9/11, you never know whether you'll get your visa or not."

The same is true of the UK and Canada. "Visa officers cannot be arbitrary," said Castellino. "They have to give written reasons each time they refuse a visa." But she admitted that, given the large Indian population already in Britain (the same applies to Canada), there was an effort to keep out potential immigrants.

Australia and New Zealand, on the contrary, encourage potential immigrants. "There are major demographic changes taking place in the developed countries all over the world," said Jugnu Roy. "With longer life expectancy and low birthrates, the labour market is ageing. In many fields old people are retiring and there are not enough young people to replace them. New Zealand has realised this early and has begun welcoming immigrants."

It has compiled an immediate shortage list featuring 107 professions, and a long-term skills shortage list featuring 200 more. Those foreign students whose courses are related to these skills and manage to find jobs after completing their courses are given permanent residence visas with little fuss. "I don't think any Indian student who has gone to New Zealand for a course has come back," said Jugnu Roy.

Australia, too, has numerous lists of professions where vacancies abound: a skilled occupations list, a migration occupations in demand list, an employer nomination scheme occupation list, a selected areas skills shortage list and so on. Every conceivable profession from fashion designer to petroleum engineer, from baker to bricklayer, is included in one or more of these lists.

The process of permanent migration is not as easy as in New Zealand, but few Indians who go there have to return unless they want to. "We have started early," said Flitman. "In the coming years most developed countries will have to follow our example."

A class apart
More than just studies

By Ashlesha Athavale

The mere mention of the two years she spent in France lights up Shariva Naik's eyes. Shariva, 26, who did her BA and MA in French in India, went to the University of Montpellier for an MPhil. in the comparative study of French and Indian theatre.

The right note: Shariva Naik went to France for her MPhil. studies

"I wanted to study in France to know more about the language and culture," she said. As Shariva went on a scholarship that allowed her to work part-time, she taught English in a high school and a junior college. "I had to work for 12 hours a week," said Shariva. "I used the money to pay fees and also saved up to travel around Europe and watch plays." The French embassy gave her a scholarship of 800 euros (about Rs 35,000 then) a month. "That took care of seven months of tuition fees each year," says Shariva. "Up to 40 per cent of my rent was paid by the French government and the food was subsidised."

Students in France have many facilities, such as concessions on tickets to museums or galleries. "The student identity card of any European university allows one to see cultural events at half price," said Shariva.

But her stay was not without difficulties. Very few western universities have the traditional concept of a classroom. "One is put in touch with a guide, with whom you have to fix an appointment," she said. "I had to pursue my guide for over a month. But once I spoke to him, he was very encouraging."

Shariva also had trouble finding accommodation. "Not all universities provide accommodation," she said. "Montpellier university is very famous and has many international students, so it was difficult to find an apartment. I had to make about 40 calls a day in my search." When she did find a house after staying with friends for a month, Shariva found the landlady very unsupportive. "The landlady I stayed with in the second year was very helpful," she said. "We are still in touch."

Shariva loved the fact that she could inform people about India. "Older people know a bit about India," she said. "But kids used to ask me, 'Do you have snakes and tigers on your streets?', 'Who is Mahatma Gandhi?'"

Currently, Shariva teaches at the Alliance Francaise in Mumbai. She has co-authored a book, to be launched in October, on how to teach French phonetics.

Fortune cookies

By Tathagata Bhattacharya

Since their early childhood, Partha Sarathi Ghosh, 34, and his younger brother Pratip Kumar, 29, had dreams of opening a bakery and confectionery chain. Their father, Pranab Ghosh, proprietor of Laurel Bread, had the 'dough', but the duo lacked the technical know-how.

A new taste and flavour: Pratip Kumar and Partha Sarathi Ghosh

In 2002, Partha flew to the American Institute of Bakery (AIB) in Manhattan, Kansas, for a three-month-long course in bakery. It cost him $3,000. "We learnt the scientific process of making cookies and cakes over there. It was a rapid-fire course," he said. He already had an MBA from the University of North London. (It cost him £12,000 in 1997.)

Pratip went to AIB for a six-month course in 2004. The graduate programme cost him $10,000. The duo launched their Ben & Jerry chain of cake shops in the same year.

Both brothers are all praise for their education abroad. "What we learnt most was the function of raw materials and their chemical interactions. In India, where the standard of raw materials varies every day, this comes as a great help," said Partha.

Pratip is happy that they can offer customers a new taste and flavour every ten days. "That is why, in spite of being just eight months old, we already have a clientele which loves novelty and quality at affordable rates," he said. "This would not have been possible without the extensive training we received abroad."

Passage to India

By Ashlesha Athavale

Increasingly, Indian students have been enrolling for courses of foreign universities on Indian campuses. Shivani Huddar, 21, for instance, took her BA in international hospitality management from Queen Margaret University College of Scotland—she did it on a Mumbai campus. Simultaneously, she took her diploma in hotel management and catering technology. "I now have a foreign degree and a diploma, which is approved by Mumbai University," she said.

Home advantage: Bryan D'Souza will get his international degree in Mumbai

The course cost her Rs 90,000 per year, and the university had faculty and student exchange programmes. "I am at a greater advantage here as we got to do international projects," said Shivani, who wants to do an MBA in Scotland, after getting the mandatory two-year work experience. "I did projects in Italian and French cuisine. We would not have had such an exposure in any other college."

Bryan D'Souza, 21, is doing his BSc. in business administration offered by US-based Champlain College on the Mahim campus of the St Xavier's Institute of Technology. "I wanted an international degree, but did not want to go abroad and spend a lot of money on my graduation," said Bryan. "I have plans of going to Australia to do my postgraduation."

The programme takes four years in the US and costs about Rs 11 lakh annually, but is completed in three in Mumbai at a cost of Rs 1 lakh a year. "We even have Condoleezza Rice's seal on the degree," said Bryan, of the degree that is recognised internationally.


Campuses in india

The best of both worlds

By Deb****** Mukerji

If Mahomet cannot go to the mountain, the mountain is ready to come to Mahomet. The craze for a foreign university degree is all pervasive among Indian youth, but only a small fraction of them can afford the six-figure cost even for a single year at a foreign campus. Noticing this potential market, educational institutions in the US and the UK have been setting up campuses within India since the mid-1990s. Degrees from these centres are a lot cheaper than the cost of studying in these countries.

Global village: Prof. Suniti Phadke

So far, foreign education providers have not been allowed to set up independent branches in India; they need to collaborate in some way with an Indian counterpart. A study last year by the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration says that there are 131 such collaborations: 107 provide vocational courses (mainly business management), 19 offer technical courses and five of them, general postgraduate education.

Top institutes of the US and the UK, except a few, have not yet camped in India. Initially, the regulations governing the functioning of those who set up shop too were vague or non-existent, which led to a number of dubious and low-value institutes—some of them not even recognised as bona fide education providers in their own countries—finding a foothold.

Aggressive advertising got the institutes gullible students too, but some abruptly wound up operations, leaving students in the lurch; others found their degrees were of little worth in the job market.

This June, the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) announced a set of regulations for these foreign players: they will now have to provide proof that the courses they offer are recognised in their parent countries as well, and the degrees awarded here are equivalent to those given out at their home campuses. They will also be subject to all the rules and guidelines that Indian technical institutes work under.

The C.N.R. Rao committee, set up last January to examine the functioning of these institutes, also submitted its report last month suggesting that newcomers be made to go through an initial probation period before giving a final approval. It has also proposed taking a security deposit from these players, which they will forfeit if they suddenly shut down.

Not all collaborations can be tarred with the same brush: several institutions are providing quality education, too. Some of them have an enviable reputation. The International School of Business in Hyderabad, for instance, has tie-ups with the Kellogg School of Management in the US and the London School of Business to teach business administration; the Institute of Management Technology in Ghaziabad has allied with Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey; and the Welingkar Institute of Management in Mumbai collaborates with Temple University in the US.

Christ College in Bangalore offers a 'twinning' programme for those who want international standard education. Students can study initial semesters at Christ's and the rest at the affiliated foreign university. The college has tied up with Western Michigan University (WMU) in the US for a four-year undergraduate course in business administration since 1997. Around 200 students have been transferred to WMU from Christ College after completing their foundation course. "The faculty in Christ College have been specially trained for [teaching] international courses," said Prof. Suniti Phadke, coordinator of international affairs in Christ College.

The college has also joined hands with Griffith University, Australia, and the University of Wales, Swansea, to offer undergraduate courses in business administration, hotel management and engineering programmes. It has a similar programme with Assumption University, Bangkok, for postgraduate programme in business administration.

In years to come it is more than likely that the foreign educated may well set up full-fledged campus in India on their own. The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) under the WTO, which envisages removal of all barriers to international trade in services, includes education.

India has not yet signed the education protocol, but is under pressure to do so: once that step is taken, foreign education providers will have to be given free access. If the top-notch players do enter, it may force Indian universities and technical institutes to improve their curricula and syllabi to compete with them, raising the overall standard of Indian education.

With Rajesh Parishwad/Bangalore

Education loans
Banking on their dreams

By Ashlesha Athavale

Once, going abroad to study was a 'big deal'. It was the prerogative of the very rich and the scholarship holders. But not anymore. Thanks to banks that offer education loans, students are now held back only by their aspirations.

Rubina Shaikh, a commerce graduate from Mithibai College in Mumbai, will realise her dream of studying MBA abroad this September. Rubina, who had applied to several universities online, was selected by the University of Westminster, London. "A loan was my only option," she says. "Luckily, I had applied when the UK had a promotional scheme for international students. So, instead of Rs 7.5 lakh, I only have to pay Rs 3.10 lakh for fees and accommodation."

Rubina applied for a loan from State Bank of India (SBI), one of several banks which offer the facility. "The first thing we require is an IR 20 form, which gives the university fees structure and payment terms," says N.S. Doiphode, assistant general manager, retail assets, centralised processing cell. "Our bank gives loans up to Rs 20 lakh." Loans can be availed against collateral security, like a house. SBI issues drafts or cheques in the currency of the country the student is going to.

Punjab National Bank (PNB) has two types of loans. "The first is the domestic loan for education within the country," says Satish Kumar, senior manager, retail loan department. "The other is for foreign universities and for meritorious students wishing to study in institutes like IIM and IIT." Both banks ask the students to repay the loan within seven years.

But what do banks do in case the student settles abroad or turns defaulter? "Many times, students return and don't inform us. Then we start the procedure for searching for them," says Doiphode. "There is always the collateral." SBI expects repayment to start within six months of completing the course, while PNB expects it to start within three months of completing the course or within two years, which ever comes first.




Go west, but cautiously

By Rajesh Parishwad

It was a gamble, but for Raghavendra Kumar, 31, opting for a business administration course in a foreign university has paid off handsomely. He is currently working as a financial system analyst at Hewlett Packard, a global IT company, in Bangalore.

'Foreign degree helps': Raghavendra Kumar

Kumar enrolled in Cardiff Business School, Wales, in 1997, after working for a while in India. He zeroed in on Cardiff, one of the best colleges in that region, because it offered a one-year programme. Most MBA programmes in India and the US are for two years. Before he sent in his application, he did intensive research. He consulted the British Council in Bangalore and spoke at length with several Cardiff alumni. Once there, he discovered the course was more hands-on than the theory-oriented Indian courses. The college had good infrastructure, and company presentations and guest lectures from industry professionals were add-ons to regular classes.

It was not just the time factor that convinced Kumar to spend £16,500 (around Rs 10 lakh) on his education. It was also the exposure to a different culture and people from different professional backgrounds.

Kumar, who has worked with Kirloskar American Filters and I-flex Solutions, believes his degree gave him an edge over other job aspirants. "MNCs are more comfortable recruiting employees with an education in foreign universities as they know the educational standards," he says. But he found that many Indian companies were wary about foreign degrees. They prefer graduates from IIMs or XLRI.

But Kumar is optimistic the scenario will change. With the Indian economy booming, he feels there are plenty of opportunities for students educated abroad. He has a word of caution, though: students should be careful about choosing the universities as well as their field of specialisation. A degree in a 'glamorous' field would not be of any use if it cannot be pursued back home.

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