'Indian Education Expo' in Colombo

'Indian Education Expo', an endeavour to promote Indian education to Sri Lankan students will be held on March 27 and 28 at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre (SLECC).

This fair is jointly organized by The Times of India and Introductions Trade Shows, a leading exhibition organizer.

More than 40 participants representing leading institutes and schools from India will be present at this exhibition, offering diverse courses in the areas of Masters of Business Administration (MBA), International Business, Hotel Management, Mass Media, Engineering, Information Technology, Medical Colleges, Fashion Designing, Air Hostess Training, Clinical Research, Pharmacy, Game Development, Animation and Visual Effects.

Indian Education Expo Project Head, Jivesh Sachdev said that Indian education is today recognized for its high quality and diversity.

"More than 310 universities and 16000 colleges are established in India, offering courses in various areas like engineering, business management, medicine, economics, statistics, aviation, journalism, hospitality and hotel management, film production, politics, religion and many more", he said.

"Moreover since English is the most popular mode of teaching and living expenses are reasonable, the Indian education system is reaching out to students from different countries. Course fees are also very reasonable when compared to the same courses offered in countries like USA, UK and those of the EU.

Students studying in Indian institutions have good local and international job prospects due to the booming domestic economy and worldwide recognition of the courses. Beyond education, India has a lot to offer in terms of culture, languages and social setup", he said.

Latest statistics compiled by the Home Ministry of India show that there were over 30,000 foreign students enrolled in different courses in India in 2008. A large number of students come to India from countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Fiji, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Ghana, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and even the US.

The numbers are set to grow exponentially in the coming years as the government is planning further steps like additional scholarships, curriculum upgrades and improvements in infrastructure.