Need to plug gaps in syllabus to inspire Indo-US research pacts

The round table discussion on ‘Best Practices in International Education’, hosted by the US Consulate General Chennai and ASSOCHAM (Tamil Nadu chapter) on Friday, saw the heads of colleges and universities coming together to discuss means to entice more American students to visit India, while also providing opportunities for short-term research for students and faculty.

Dr S Salivahanan, Principal of SSN College of Engineering, said that 10 per cent of their budget has been allocated for research purposes. “While pursuing education abroad is expensive and not affordable to many, we encourage our students to pursue summer internships in other cities across the country or abroad. We also ensure that our students present papers at symposiums abroad,” said the educationist. 

Indians are the second highest nationality group among international students in the United States. However, India is ranked 13th among the top 25 destinations where students from the US choose to study. US. Consul General Phillip A Min said the interest in Indian programmes among institutions back home is high. “A lot of universities in the US would like to start India programmes but the lack of a proper system is a challenge. We have seen programmes developing between India and US based on the faculty-to-faculty relationship,” said the Consul General. To attract more international students, Anna University has built an international students’ hostel on their premises and provide visa support to the students. Dr A Azad, Director, Centre for International Affairs, said, “Foreign students are important for any institution, as they build bridges between the countries.”