Schools in Asia, CIS woo Indian students

The demand for Indian information and technology (IT) skills, so long limited to the United States of America (US) and United Kingdom (UK), is rising in Asian and European countries as well.

These countries are looking forward to get the best of Indian brains, according to Siddharth Jain, chief-marketing operation, Global Events and Exposition (GEE), a Delhi based education fair event manager.

"Several countries like China, Thailand, Malaysia, Ukraine and South Korea are showing keen interest in Indian students," said Jain.

Indian students are looking at the news destinations because of the problems faced at present in getting visas to go the USA, and the high cost of education in UK, he explained.

"Student going to Canada, Australia, China, Singapore and other Asian countries for higher studies realising the constraints in USA and UK," Jain added.

To encourage this flow of students, GEE would be organising an educational fair in July in Delhi with at least seven Korean institutes participating and some schools from Ukraine. Another event would be organised in November in seven cities including Kolkata with schools from Malaysia and Ukraine.

"The November event would see at least 150 institutes from 15 countries and will primarily comprise international institutes, Indian institutes offering dual programmes or having tie-up with foreign schools," Jain said.

GEE held its Education Worldwide India (EWI) fair in Kolkata this weekend.

"EWI started from Guwahati where 2,500 students visited. After Kolkata, we will go to Ranchi," he said.

The Kolkat fair had 27 institutes including four overseas institutes from Malaysia, UK and Australia.

It offered a platform christened 'Education Planner' providing educational information about overseas educational institutions.

GEE posted revenues of around Rs 4 crore during 2004-05 against the previous year's Rs 1.5 crore.