Up, up and away! BY RAI UMRAOPATI RAY

The Indian education sector is moving full steam ahead despite the global slowdown

Recession or no recession, the education sector in India is grow- ing at a phenomenal pace with universities and institutes looking for greener pastures in different cities across the country. And what’s more — Indian universities are going international and foreign varsities are tying up with their counterparts in India. In short, the Indian education segment has never witnessed such rapid movement either nationally or internationally.

Says K.V. Iyer, Head, ICFAI International Division, “Yes, we do have plans to go international in terms of opening campuses. We are planning to initiate our Global MBA programme in Australia, UK and Switzerland at our campuses. Our target is to have 25 international campuses by 2015.” Adds Atul Chauhan, Amity University Chancellor, “Our university will be setting up three campuses abroad in locations like Dubai, Singapore and the United States.” Amongst the others who have joined the bandwagon to establish new campuses are the Indian Institute of Management (IMT), the Indian Institute of Planning and (IIPM). Says Dr. Anwar Ali, Director of IMT, Ghaziabad, “Singapore is an option for us along with Australia and even the US but nothing has been decided as yet. We are keen to expand our international presence.” Says Professor Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM, “We have been planning to go international for quite a while.

However we have been delayed due to various reasons including our India expansion plans. We are hoping to open five campuses in Singapore, London, United Arab Emirates, Brussels and Australia over the next one year.” But what about the financial meltdown, the capital crunch? Says Professor Chaudhuri, “The slowdown is our reason for expansion. Every threat provides an opportunity.” Chauhan says that the “education sector is an ever-evolving field needed by every society and country.

People do not stop leaning.

In fact, many professionals who are affected by the slowdown are upgrading their skills by pursuing various courses.” Most universities and institutes are initiating their flagship programmes showing confidence in the quality of their course content.

So, while ICFAI is introducing their Global MBA programme — relevant in the current economic recession, IIPM will go ahead with their planning and entrepreneurship courses that lead to additional MBA and BBA degrees.

Another positive development is that a number of renowned foreign institutions are tying up with or looking at partnerships with the Indian varsities in order to start their courses on Indian soil.

For instance, the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto has launched the Schulich India MBA in collaboration with the S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) in Mumbai.

The Indian Education sector is certainly going places!