No fewer than 200 delegates from over 70 countries in Africa, Middle East and South East Asia are gathering in New Delhi for the 14th edition of higher education summit towards improving the university for the future.
Saravana Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, India said on Tuesday that the gathering was aimed at driving the government policy to ensure effective educational delivery and services.
Information gathered says that the summit was organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in collaboration with the Government of India to focus on developing an ecosystem for strategic partnerships in the education sector between India and other countries.
Kumar said with the number of delegates at the summit, it would provide a forum for international educational providers and as well encourage collaborations among the countries to strengthen the education sector.
He said that building on the synergy would help countries involved in the summit to awake to the realisation that education was the bedrock of any society that want to develop.
Earlier, Dr Vidya Yeravdekar, Pro Chancellor, Symbiosis International University, said the government of India had launched some studies in India programme initiatives aimed at attracting foreign students to the universities.
Yeravdekar noted that this initiative had produced about 48,000 foreign students currently studying in India with Nigerian students being the larger number.
She added that if the government was able to sustain and build on the collaborations, the number of foreign students would increase to 200,000 by 2023.
” India has launched a study in India programme initiatives, which is a governmental initiative, to attract foreign students.
“In other words, the universities are given 50 per cent scholarships as the number is projected at 200,000 by 2023.
” India has a large number of Nigerian students studying in various universities in India and we hope to increase this number,” she said.
The pro chancellor added that the current number of 48,000 foreign students studying in India had overrun China and Malaysia who were leading in number before.
Meanwhile, Prof. Idris Funtua, Vice-Chancellor, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina, said efforts must be made to address challenges in the educational system of Nigeria.
Funtua, who was worried at the spate Nigerians sought for educational knowledge in other countries, said Nigeria must begin to invest in the education system to make it more conducive for learning.
He added that the educational system of Nigeria should be developed in such a way that foreign students would also seek knowledge and advancement in Nigeria’s educational system.
(Sourced from Nan)
