Tag: foreign students

Internationalization Post NEP 2020

Global Experts to Deliberate on India as the Global Destination for Higher Education post-NEP 2020

IIT Kharagpur Alumni Foundation (India) in partnership with IIT Kharagpur is organizing an International Webinar on October 9-10, 2020, titled ‘India: The Global Destination for Higher Education (Post NEP 2020 Scenario)’. The webinar which will witness deliberations from eminent academic experts and administrators from India and abroad will set the platform for the development of policy recommendations towards the internationalization of Indian higher educational institutions in the light of the New Education Policy 2020. The panel discussions will include ‘Status of Government Institutions in Attracting Foreign Students’, ‘Contribution of Private Sector Institutions in Attracting Foreign Students’, ‘Global Alliances: Gaps and Bridging Them’ and ‘What Makes India as a Preferred Destination for HE post-NEP 2020’.

The event will be graced by Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Hon’ble Minister of Education as the Chief Guest, Shri Amit Khare, Secretary, Dept. of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India as the Guest of Honour. Prof Virendra Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur is the Patron, Commander VK Jaitly, Board Member; IIT Bhuvaneswar is the Webinar Chairman and Rajah Venkat is the Convenor of the International Webinar. Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE will be a special guest. 

The Webinar is co-sponsored by PanIIT India, PanIIT USA and IIT Kharagpur Foundation of USA. Varadarajan Seshamani, Ron Gupta, Krishen Dhar, Sundy Srinivasan from these organisations are the key organisers. 

A large number of Directors of IITs, IIMs, IIITs, NITs and VCs of Government and Private Universities will be attending these brainstorming sessions. Eminent academicians from top foreign universities like Prof. Pradeep Khosla, Chancellor, University of California San Diego; Prof. Prabhat Hajela, Provost, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Prof. Geeta Mehta from Columbia University; Prof. Prith Banerjee, Former Dean, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University will be sharing the gaps that need to be bridged for the Indian universities and colleges to attract foreign students from across the world. Foreign consulate representations actively engaged in international education facilitation are also expected to participate.  

Click on this link to Register NOW:  https://sites.google.com/view/webinarsep20

Talking about the prospect Prof. Virendra Tewari, Director IIT Kharagpur said, “Academics across the nation are hopeful about the positive changes which NEP 2020 would introduce in the Indian education system across all levels. A key area where we are expecting a significant change is in the flow of inbound and outbound international students.”

A crucial area to be deliberated in the webinar is the new dynamics that would come to play in the higher education scenario in the post-pandemic world including logistics of international travel, cost of international healthcare, stay etc. 

Cdr V K Jaitly who conceptualized the initiative in 2017 and is chairing the Webinar feels strongly about the annual outflow of foreign reserves to the extent of USD 16 billion towards the cost of foreign education of about 2.5 lakhs Indian students studying abroad.

“We feel that the time has come when the mindset of Indians to go abroad for even lesser-known universities in the name of higher education will drastically reduce particularly when we talk of Atmanirbhar Bharat in various sectors,” he added.

In addition to the foreign reserves outflow, the country further experiences a loss of intellectual property and a high-quality talent pool in academia and industry adding to the economic burden. Several of the foreign universities have been thriving on Indian academics, researchers and students. India however, has the potential to earn about $ 20 billion every year from the Education Sector.

“India has very few foreign students when compared to the USA, UK, China, France, Australia etc. We are way behind and have a long way to go. We feel that the top 10% of Indian Universities and Colleges both Government and Private can attract foreign students from all over the world,” added Cdr Jaitly.

The two-day Webinar will assess the current status and draft a roadmap to arrest talent streaming out of India and attracting the students globally to Indian universities for pursuing higher education.

“In addition to improving our infrastructure, syllabi and quality of the academics, we may have to launch an outreach program throughout the world,” remarked Webinar Convenor Rajah Venkat. 

Click on this link to Register NOW: https://sites.google.com/view/webinarsep20

If you have any great ideas to make “India, the Global Destination for Higher Education”, please send them to us on email id: hec@paniit.org but limited to 200 words along with your photograph and a very brief profile not exceeding 50 words and we shall include the selected ones in our Recommendations Document that will be submitted to the Education Minister of GOI.

Media Coverage:

The New Indian Express             UNI 

Media Contact: 

Commander VK Jaitly, 

Email: jaitly.iit@gmail.com, Mobile: +91 9811777904

Register: https://sites.google.com/view/webinarsep20

You’re Home: IIT Kharagpur tells international students

Hindustan Times    The Week     India Today     Millennium Post      Outlook     Economic Times      NDTV    Jagran

An early morning tweet on Earth Day woke up a few students at IIT Kharagpur. A fellow Kgpian student, pursuing internship at Georgia, Atlanta, USA, had tweeted seeking help from the Indian authorities in the lockdown situation. Her friends from IIT Kharagpur got in action and shared her message on IIT Kharagpur’s social media handle. Finally the stranded student was connected with IITKGP Foundation, the alumni body of the Institute in USA, who are now trying to help her reach out to the alumni in the region.

Few days prior to this incident, another such call was made for some IIT students stranded in Germany and Sweden. The IITs are reaching out to the alumni in the respective region to connect with these students under distress. International students across the globe are sharing their concerns regarding their fellowships/grants, visa status, residency protocols as the world has come to a standstill with COVID-19 Lockdown. But what is happening at the home front? The Kgp Chronicle presents an account of the international students outreach at IIT Kharagpur.

IIT Kharagpur at present is hosting students and researchers from 12 countries – Afghanistan, Bhutan, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. The Institute is assuring its international students making them feel home away from home while facilitating their academics, stay, residency and other protocols.

The Office of International Relations (OIR) has created an online forum to reach out to the students on a daily basis. The Office shares relevant Institute notices on this forum. The foreign scholars are encouraged to share their concerns and these are addressed as much as possible under these difficult times.

OIR also extended assistance towards extension of visa and processing of scholarship to avoid any disruption of stay and other facilities availed by these students. Some students who have gone home after the mid semester examination are being assisted by the Office and their respective embassies to network with the Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India to arrange for their return when the semester resumes. 

“Several international students are receiving financial aid under international programs run by us and outreach bodies of the Govt. of India. We have ensured that they receive their scholarships on time. We are constantly in touch with the students and are committed towards their wellbeing. With every passing day we assure them there is nothing to worry, like every other student, IIT Kharagpur campus is their home away from home,” Prof. Anandaroop Bhattacharya, Associate Dean, International Relations.

Dr. Than Htike Win from Myanmar who is pursuing research work at the Dept. of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering shared his experience during the lockdown period. As his fellowship period gets over at the end of June 2020, he is trying to progress during this phase, in particular the analysis of his research completed till now and planning to finalize the remaining research work and write the reports. 

Solomon Demiss, visiting research scholar from Ethiopia at the Institute’s Dept. of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering has been pursuing his research work through interactions with his guide and fellow team members, reading and writing reports. Solomon was delighted with the gesture of his fellow students to assist him with  procuring necessary supplies from the market while he is managing his  condition of physical challenge and social distancing.

The students are using this isolation period to extensively improve their knowledge base through optimal use of eLearning platforms. Tamim Boubou, who is pursuing MTech in Control System Engineering at the Dept. of Electrical Engineering, was planning to go home to Syria during the summer recess. But now he is utilising the summer-time by attending online video lectures and taking part in summer projects. 

“I actually enjoyed the online video classes, they are more comfortable and in my view are quite interactive, you can record the session and go back to a certain point whenever needed, in short, it is a good experience,” he said. The summer project he has currently undertaken is related to his Masters Thesis Project which is scheduled in the next semester. 

Tamim is excited about the online group created by the Office of International Relations for international students where they are being updated frequently with all new announcements. 

“Almost everyday we are being checked upon, if there is anything missing that we need, same for all mess and hostel facilities, everyone is so cooperative,” he remarked.

Similar thought is echoed by Charles Munyaradzi from Zimbabwe who is pursuing postdoctoral fellowship in biomedical research. Though he has going through acclimatization with the Indian summers and sceptical about his scholarship as his banking formalities got delayed due to lockdown, he appreciates the regular flow of communication  which gives him an assurance in the current circumstances while being in a foreign land.

Several students also plans to seek assistance from the office for renewal of their passport and residence permit, after the lockdown is relaxed and the embassies resume regular operations. 

The students are interacting with their classmates online for joint study, research ideas, games. Some of them are putting their extra time to use by testing their cooking talents. The Office has also provided them with home and kitchen appliances which are useful now during the social distancing period.

Contemplating on the impact of the pandemic situation on the internationalization efforts of IIT Kharagpur, Dean International Relations Baidurya Bhattacharya opined,

“At IIT Kharagpur, we understand internationalization to mean presenting our best to the service of humanity, and in turn, to bring what is best in the world into our campus. Just as this exchange includes the movement of people, it equally well involves the give and take of ideas, free thought and knowledge. As we come out of this pandemic, we will see some short term changes. A lot of national resources will be devoted by every country in rebuilding their economies.  Movement of people will probably reduce somewhat, and that will include faculty and students. But the free flow of knowledge and goodwill between the home and the world will continue.”

The Dean is planning to strengthen and expand the joint academic programs of the Institute with its international partners, conducting more joint research, proposing for more multi-agency grant applications. 

An optimistic Prof. Bhattacharya said, “We will have more online interactions, and we will learn more from each other in how to make the world a safer, kinder and more equitable place – because in the end, we are all in it together.”

Sharing the Best

India Today        Outlook           Millennium Post        Times of India         The Statesman          Times City

IIT Kharagpur and the United States – India Educational Foundation (USIEF) organized a two-day joint workshop for universities in Eastern India themed ‘Igniting Interest to Study in India: Best Practices to Attract Foreign Students on Your Campus’.

USIEF promotes mutual understanding between the nationals of India and the US through the educational exchange of outstanding scholars, professionals and students. The organization has the mandate to organize such outreach workshops to promote both the inbound and outbound flow of students between the two countries.

“Recently we have seen a drop of about 15% in the inbound students to India from USA. We are trying to reach out to universities in India and bridge this gap,” said Dr. Diya Dutt, Deputy Director, USIEF.

The organization has been awarding Fulbright, Fulbright-Nehru, and other prestigious grants and scholarships in almost every academic discipline will now be setting up Nehru Chairs in US universities to enhance interaction not just within the academia but also engagement with the community at large, confirmed Diya.

They are also looking into the scope of improvement in the areas of cutting-edge research and teaching infrastructure and accommodation in which Indian universities can get an edge by meeting the globally accepted standards.

Talking about the initiative, Dean International Relations of IIT Kharagpur Baidurya Bhattacharya said, “We cannot remain an island of excellence. While we have been serving the nation and society it is also our responsibility to join forces with our peer groups, share with them our learning and experience on internationalization and in turn learn from them. Eastern India with its socio-cultural diversity has tremendous potential of becoming a preferred destination for foreign students not just in India but for the entire South Asian region. And the best part is the universities here, have been offering quality affordable higher education which these foreign students seek.”

IIT Kharagpur officials who spoke at the workshop also focused on student facilitation pertaining to admission, terms of degree courses, visa, clearances, insurance etc. and agreements with foreign universities, institutional ranking and international brand outreach activities.

Among the participants were XLRI Jamshedpur, Indian Institute of Engineering Science And Technology Shibpur, West Bengal State University, Presidency University, Jadavpur University, IISER Kalyani and several others. The participants, some of whom were from relatively younger institutions, in an open house were introduced to various initiatives and ideas to improve their international inbound presence. Some of them are already were contemplating on learning from the best practices, such as the idea of Dyuti, a socio-cultural short-term education programme started by IIT Kharagpur in 2019 for foreign students studying in other Indian universities, caught the interest of Dr. Ashis K Pani, Dean Academics of XLRI Jamshedpur who was a participant

Dr. Paramjyot Singh, faculty at XLRI Jamshedpur and a former Nehru Fullbright Fellow said, “these workshops create a great opportunity for knowledge sharing, collaboration and mutual understanding. It’s about we and it’s about a common future for us.”

IIT Kharagpur which is extensively promoting its international outreach to bring in more foreign students for degree and non-degree programmes has already set up a robust international relations mechanism to attract more students.

“Processes, facilities while being the key aspect, most students look for financial support. We launched various scholarship programmes funded by the Institute and alumni especially for SAARC, ASEAN and African students which has I would say affirmatively increased our international student enrolment significantly” added Associate Dean International Relations Anandaroop Bhattacharya.