Number of Indian students in UK drops

Britain's strict student visa regulations has resulted in a dip in the numbers of Indian students in higher education by nearly a quarter last year.

Students from India coming to study at UK schools and universities fell by 23.5% overall, including a 28% drop at the postgraduate level.

Figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on Friday show fewer than 30,000 students from India were studying at UK higher education institutions in 2011-12 , compared with around 40,000 in the previous year.

India, however, remains the second most common country of origin for foreign students in Britain after China, which sent 79,000 students last year.

Universities have been warning the UK government that recent changes to student visa rules mean they face losing bright foreign students to rival institutions in the United States, Canada and Australia.

Student route back door to Britain?

The debate over Britain’s immigration policy continues.

Migration Watch, a UK-based think tank, has challenged the call by 70 University Chancellors, in a recent letter to the Prime Minister, for overseas students to be taken out of the migration statistics. This would achieve nothing except to destroy public confidence in the government’s immigration policy while any significant expansion of foreign students could blow the government’s immigration policy seriously off course.

According to the study published by Migration Watch UK:

Britain’s main competitors – the US, Australia and Canada all include students in their net migration figures (while distinguishing them for internal administrative purposes). Unlike Britain, the same countries interview students before a visa is granted to test whether they are genuine and whether they really intend to return home after their course. A major Australian report found recently that these interviews did not deter genuine students. The UK should re-introduce them.

The US and Australia both have checks on the departure of individual students which are still not possible in the UK. Over the past ten years two million non EU and ½ million EU students have been admitted to Britain to study for more than a year but the government has not the slightest idea how many have actually left. Universities UK accept that about 20% of students stay on legally – that amounts to net migration of 50,000 a year.

Some of those from poorer countries are likely to stay on illegally. Migration Watch estimate that they could add a further 25,000 per year bringing the total to 75,000. If the number of foreign students was allowed to increase still further as the universities wish to see, students could eventually add 90 - 100,000 a year to net migration.

A 10% change in the number of foreign students would change the UK’s annual foreign exchange earnings by only about 0.2%.

Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman Migration Watch UK said “Foreign students are valuable but the present system is far too easily abused. Sadly, the student route has become the back door to Britain and it is wide open. Unlike our main competitors, we do not interview students before they come to confirm that they are genuine and there are no checks on their departure. We cannot have a massive inflow of a quarter of a million students a year without their contributing heavily to immigration. Taking them out of the statistics would achieve nothing. The government must thoroughly tighten up the student system or any attempt to reduce the current mass immigration will be blown seriously off course.

Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said: "In many respects the Migration Watch UK report makes valid and important points. The letter from university Chancellors to the prime minister states that any abuse of the student visa route needs to be tackled. UK universities are fully signed up to that agenda.

"But the Migration Watch report is wrong in calling for international students to be counted within the UK's migration figures. The Chancellors were calling for the government to remove international students from net migration figures in order to make a clear distinction between temporary and permanent migrants for the UK's own internal policy purposes. This would actually increase public confidence in the immigration system. No one is suggesting that international students should not be counted in the immigration system.”

Richard Ivey partners with MDI on case-based learning in India

One of Canada’s leading business schools, the Richard Ivey School of Business has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, for development and global distribution of India-focused business case studies.

Case-based learning is fast being adopted by business schools across the world. Carol Stephenson, Dean, Richard Ivey School of Business explains, “Case based learning is a highly effective and relevant teaching methodology to make management education more attuned to real world business challenges, particularly in fast-growth and emerging economies such as India.”

Richard Ivey has also set up a Centre for Case Development in collaboration with the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. The Centre enhances case writing capabilities among Indian academia, and also distributes these cases worldwide.

Richard Ivey School of Business

Globally, Ivey is known for its case-based approach to learning and is ranked the #1 producer of Asian-based cases worldwide and the #2 producer of cases overall.

I spoke to Ariff Kachra, Strategy Professor & Director India Development, Richard Ivey School of Business two years ago when he was putting together Ivey’s India strategy and he said, at that time: “We are very excited about working in India – both on case development (Ivey has several initiatives including partnerships with Indian School of Business and the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore) and executive education.”

Ivey is also working on executive development programmes for Indian companies.

Kachra revealed that the business school has met with more than two dozen companies in India across a variety of industries including software, telecom, manufacturing and in the financial sector. “We have tried very hard to reach a cross-section of companies – some are based only in India, some are Indian companies with branches around the world and some are foreign multi-nationals.”

India outpost for Canadian varsity

The University of British Columbia joins the long list of international institutions with offices in India. The Canadian university will set up offices in Bangalore and New Delhi and establish partnerships with leading universities and research institutions across India.

The new Bangalore office will be spearheaded by UBC’s Sauder School of Business. This initiative will be announced in Bangalore on November 15 at an event hosted by the Premier of British Columbia Christy Clark.

In addition, the Sauder School of Business will announce Memorandum of Understanding agreements to be signed with two of India’s most prominent educational institutions, the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. These partnerships will provide a framework to increase student exchange, research partnerships and collaborative program development.

“These initiatives represent a landmark achievement in UBC’s ongoing quest to create an international centre of excellence for study, research and partnership,” says UBC President Stephen Toope.

The announcement of the new Bangalore office is part of a B.C. Government trade mission to India led by Premier Clark.

“International education is an important part of B.C.’s Jobs Plan,” says Premier Christy Clark. “The opening of the UBC India Office will showcase educational opportunities available in B.C. as well as support future partnerships and academic exchanges.”

President Toope, Vice President Research and International John Hepburn and Sauder School of Business Dean Daniel Muzyka are among executives from 16 B.C. post-secondary institutions participating in the mission.

“Our new office in Bangalore puts UBC and Sauder on the ground in a country that will influence global economic growth for the next century,” says Dean Muzyka. “Through enhanced research, programs and engagement, the school will endeavor to serve the needs of India as it grows, while learning from rapid changes taking place in its economy.”

The UBC India Office in Bangalore will be a gateway allowing UBC and Sauder School of Business to engage directly with key academic, government and business stakeholders. With the goal of enhancing educational programs, exchanges, and research collaboration, the office will work to deepen connections with the Indian business community to enhance career support and job opportunities for students and alumni.