Destined for greener pastures

HIGHER STUDIES

Students fresh from the oven, with exam results in hand, thronged to Taj Vivanta on MG Road for the annual Edwise World Educational Fair on Thursday. With a wide platter to eat off of, students had a treat waiting for them as rows of international universities lined up for the day. 

The biscuits and tea lay forgotten as people hurried to register and talk to the respective university representatives. Sushil Sukhwani, director of the Edwise group said, “We want to make it easier for students and institutions to meet and interact.” 

   While the Mumbai edition of the fair saw around 80 universities attending the event, the City had a diminished 60 universities. According to Sushil, it is up to the institutions and some cities see more participation while others see less.  Some students had a clear idea of what they wanted to get from this fair while others were there to browse. 

   Nikki Kiran just finished her second-PUC from KLE Society’s Nijalingappa College and said she was there to find a college in the United States or United Kingdom for engineering. “I would like to go to Harvard or California University,” she said. 

   Her friend, Akshata Viswanathan, also from KLE, said that she had just tagged along with Nikki but would like to study abroad. 

Though UK has seen a downfall in the number of students the last couple of years because of its work visa policy, this hasn’t prevented students from applying there. Anya O’Çonnor, the international marketing officer for Cardiff Metropolitan University, said, “Yes, it’s definitely not as high as before but students interested in quality education still do apply.” 

She added that students can either afford to pay the tuition fees or they pay back the loans by finding work in other countries or in India. “We have an alumni group that helps the students find its place,” she added. 

No matter the odds, students seem to be keen on travelling overseas. The recent hit to the rupee-dollar exchange rate hasn’t acted as a deterrent to getting a good education abroad, according to a volunteer. 

Nikki said, “I’m bored of this city and want more experience. It will be nice to adjust to another environment.”  

Overall, the education fair was a success, with almost 1,000 people walking in and out. Universities from the US, UK, Canada, Switzerland, Singapore, New Zealand, France and Dubai were present.