Opportunities on foreign shores

The Irish education minister Ciarin Cannon was here in the City for a special cause — he came along with his entourage to popularise and spread awareness regarding Irish universities and the scope of higher education in Ireland.

Ciarin Cannon explains that Ireland — being a small country — has to depend on its people and they are the major resource of the country. “India is becoming a powerhouse of resources and is a strong economy. That is why we felt the need to invite Indian students to study in Ireland, so that they can experience the Irish hospitality. Our fundamental goal in Ireland is to develop skilled labour and hence, we want to
develop this relationship with India, so that we can mutually benefit from each other,” he says.

Throwing some light on the Savitha Halappanavar case, he admits that it has been a terrible tragedy and adds that the prime minister and deputy PM have already expressed their condolences to the family.

“Over 20,000 people have taken to the streets in Ireland. Our main focus will be to establish clarity as to why this happened. The medical professionals in our country have argued about the fact that there is no clarity. We have set up an expert group and this group has given the report to the PM. The government will publish its findings soon. Our government has been in touch with Praveen and his family and will soon announce a public enquiry,” he states.

Ruth Freeman, the director of science foundation in Ireland who also visited the City, adds that education is in the DNA of Ireland.

“Our people are our resource and like India, we have a large diaspora who bring a lot expertise from abroad. In many cases, they also return to their own country and help in the economic development there. In the same way, we have many foreign nationals living here who also bring their knowledge and expertise to our country,” she says.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the honorary consul of the country, says that her links with Ireland are very deep.

She is happy that the country has kick-started its campaign of promoting Irish universities in Bangalore.