Fr. Shijin Director of the School of Engineering and Technology, Kengeri, and Sunil Manjappa, Branch Manager Bengaluru FES Study abroad powered by Fragomen inaugurating The Hindu EducationPlus International Education Fair at Christ University, Kengeri, in Bengaluru on Tuesday. August 20.
| Photo Credit:
Sudhakar Jain
Over 1,500 aspiring students sought information and tools to pursue higher education abroad on the second day of The Hindu EducationPlus International Education Fair 2024 at Christ University, Kengeri Campus, on Tuesday, August 20.
The event witnessed sessions held by Education USA, Campus France, and DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) who led students through the process of getting higher education in the U.S.A., France, and Germany respectively.
The talk by Campus France representative, Yash Khakhar, saw a packed seminar hall of students. He dispelled the myth that France is for studying fashion and culinary arts, emphasising opportunities in business, management, commerce, research and more. He also spoke about the abundance of financial assistance available to Indian students due to a long-standing MoU between the governments of India and France.
“The scholarships are of two types, institutional ones that are given based on early applications, diversity, and excellence. Second, government scholarships are prestigious. They look at your entire profile, your academics, extracurriculars, work experience, and language. France is also unique in the sense of allowing students to hold both institutional and government scholarships at once,” he said.
Beyond the informative sessions, the fair offered students the opportunity to interact with representatives from renowned universities and consultancies. Around 16 stalls set up by institutions that assist students with applications as well as financial service providers were present at the education fair.
Namrata Prem, a final-year Psychology student who hopes to study in Europe said, “We got to learn a lot about opportunities abroad, be it college selection, applications, or the visa process. Everyone present has given us a lot of resources, links or information. They were also really approachable. We’ve had previous sessions in college by similar organisations that facilitate study abroad programs but this was different because we could approach them first-hand and make personal connections. It’s better than sitting and doing everything by yourself which is so tedious.”
Noticing students’ reception of the education fair, Sugunya Tamalapadi, regional officer at DAAD, said, “We had nearly 200-250 students at our table alone. Today, they came in batches of 10 to 20 and it was more like group counselling.” She also noted that there has been an increase in students interested in studying in Germany in the last 5 years.
“Students going to Germany has increased now. In the last few years, we see more number of students coming to us and enquiring. Trend-wise, Germany has always been the mechanical hub so engineering students ask about mechanical programs a lot. We’ve also seen an increased trend of students asking about undergraduate programs,” she said.
Parents present at the fair were seen gathered around the stalls, especially interested in understanding ways to finance their children’s international education.
Praveen, the parent of an engineering student said, “We didn’t even have basic knowledge about sending our children to study abroad. So today, we got some knowledge of the process. We had a good experience and are considering sending our children abroad. The fee structure is very high there and hence we’ve enquired with a couple of banks who are here and have some information about loans they are providing.”
The fair will take place next in Coimbatore on August 22 and 23 at Taj Vivanta and Kumaraguru College of Technology respectively, in Chennai on August 25 and 26 at Loyola College, in Kochi on August 28 at Taj Vivanta, and in Delhi on August 30 at Dr. Ambedkar Convention Centre.
The Hindu EducationPlus International Education Fair is presented by FES Study Abroad (powered by Fragomen India) and powered by the Bank of Maharashtra. The knowledge partner from the U.S.A. is Education USA, from France is Campus France, from Germany, is DAAD, the associate partner is HDFC Credila, the global banking partner is Bank of Baroda, forex, and the travel partner is Unimoni and the venue partner for the event is Christ University, Bengaluru.
