Indian students eye Canada
South Asian Focus - January 4, 2012
Canada's brand of educational excellence is beginning to make inroads into India, even as Canadian educational institutions are mulling joint venture opportunities in India and elsewhere with Indian partners, participants at Synergy 2011, the Canada India Educational Council's annual conference, heard recently.
But there were simultaneously several issues that needed to be worked through, speakers at the conference said.
The event, held in Mississauga last fall, drew a high-quality list of participants from throughout Canada.
Preeti Saran, Indian consul-general, emphasized that as the centre of global population and economic growth shifts to the East, more and more Indian students will want to pursue post-secondary education in their own country, so that they can do work terms elsewhere and ultimately find employment in India.
"There is currently a law pending in Indian Parliament that will allow the direct participation of international universities in India," she noted.
Saran added some universities - the Schulich School of Business, for one - has already linked up with Indian partners to start operations in India.
She encouraged more Canadian institutions to partner with Indian institutions to offer more educational opportunities there.
Keynote speaker Prof Balbir Sahni said that, hearteningly, there has been a "quantum jump" in the number of collaborative initiatives and MoUs between Canadian and Indian institutions, and that more Indian students are now seeking out Canadian universities.
Prof Sahni said that globally, there are about 3 million international students, 62 per cent enrolled at institutions in North America and Western Europe. Almost a third of them came from East Asia and the Pacific Basin.
Here in Canada, 26 per cent of international students come from China, 11 per cent from South Korea, and 8 per cent from India (as of 2010 StatsCan estimates).
In terms of flow, though, for the first time India has become the second-greatest source of international students in Canada. Since 2008, international students from India have increased from 3,501 to 12,188 - a four-fold increase in just two years.
Sahni also noted 54 per cent of international students in Canada come to enroll in university, 27 per cent in trades or allied lines, and 15 per cent in primary or secondary school.
Earlier in her opening remarks Dr Sheila Embleton, president, CIEC, expressed enthusiasm for the burgeoning Canada-India corridor.
Embleton noted Australia and the US have experienced setbacks in recent years and this presents an opportunity for Canada to position itself as a destination of choice for Indian students.
Observing UK institutions are establishing international branch campuses despite their fiscal challenges at home, Embleton suggested Canadian institutions also need to approach the immense Indian market with a spirit of "coopetition" because "there is room for all".
Ontario push
Husain F. Neemuchwala, co-founder and COO of the council, noted Ontario is pushing for significant growth in international enrolment, and is making it easier for international students to find work in Ontario.
CIEC itself has big plans for 2012, including the opening of representative offices all over India, to serve its member institutions in Canada, Neemuchwala added.
Towards this end, CIEC aims to recruit members in India soon, added Kam Rathee, vice-chair and co-founder, CIEC.
Speaking about the general challenges the world's major economies are facing Pierre Pettigrew, chair of CIEC, added: "Thank God we have India!"
While noting international students contribute $6.5 billion annually to the Canadian economy, Lee-Anne Hermann said China, India and Brazil are national priorities for student recruitment.
Speaking from Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's perspective, Hermann added student visas quadrupled between 2008 and 2010, from 3,194 to 12,252, thanks to the Student Partners Program.
"Visa application processes have been accelerated to an average of 28 days for Indian students, and the approval rate is getting better," she said.
Hermann however agreed Canada's marketing budget to spread our brand internationally is still far less than competing nations (this June the government allocated $10 million for the education strategy).
She noted DFAIT is engaged in events, summits, social media and information seminars, and is developing an alumni database as ways of spreading the word.
Dr Deep Saini, who heads University of Toronto's Mississauga campus, was enthusiastic about the prospects of penetrating the Indian market, but added it is a two-way street for India and Canada.