Ireland universities beckon Indian students

The potential of Indian students with great inter-disciplinary skills and hardworking attitude puts them on top of preference list, said James Mackrill, Manager, Education in Ireland. He was speaking at an education fair organised by Enterprise Ireland (EI) here on Sunday.

  

Mackrill said that when compared to other countries, the cost of living was low in Ireland, as it offered affordable education and stay opportunities. The country was also a hub where business and academics were closely allied. While branches like science and technology, engineering and medical saw quite a lot of students from India, not many preferred humanities. 

Various universities in Ireland as well as the government are offering scholarships. In addition, the students will also be given paid internships and allowed to work part time to minimise their financial burden, he said and added that the visa obtaining process was not complicated and the approval rates were close to 90 per cent. 

Siddarth, who studied at Trinity College in Ireland, said the support networks played a crucial role during his stay in Dublin. “There are also extra-curricular activities. We celebrated Indian festivals and the embassy also extended its support,” he added. He explained that a number of south Indian food joints were set up in Ireland and the availability of raw material made the stay more conducive. The students could avail themselves of passes at concession to travel in the public transport. The event saw a participation of 15 universities and over 200 students.