A European Higher Education fair is being organised in New Delhi where students will get to know the prospects for higher studies, avenues for job, scholarships, part-time working provision and credit transfer system in the European countries, says Apoorv Mahendru of German Academic Exchange Programme.
About 100 recognised universities from 25 member countries of European Union will project their courses, facilities and related matters here from November 24 to 26, he says.
"The member countries of European Union are now targeting the Indian students. The participating universities will facilitate information on their academic curriculum, along with special programmes and procedures to enrol students," says Mahendru from the coordinating agency for the event. The fair is seen as a bid to boost internationalisation of higher education and cultural exchange, he says.
"If the student mobility increases, there will be more cultural exchange and interaction," he says. Presently, majority of the Indian students going abroad for higher studies prefer to go to the US followed by UK and Australia. Of late students have shown interest to go to European countries like Germany, France and other countries.
The fair, accompanied by a symposium, assumes importance in the wake of the recently agreed EU-India joint action plan where higher education cooperation and academic exchanges have been identified as a mutual interest priority.
All the information on recognised higher education institutions and the entire gamut of academic options in the EU member states will be available under a single roof, he says.
The European Union will organise similar programmes in other Asian countries aiming to promote regional and multilateral networking between higher education institutions in Europe and these countries, he says.
Some European countries like Germany are bringing in legislation soon, which will allow foreign students to stay in that country for their entire lives provided they get a suitable job. This will attract more students from Asian countries, he says.
