NRI REPORT:
Indian students
gone up from 3,800 five years ago to 18,000 last year
despite the steep fee hike
How do we retain
Indians: UK's biggest problem
LONDON, February 8 2006
Reuters
The number of Indian students doing higher studies
in Britain has increased nearly five-fold in as many
years despite the steep fee hike, the Indian envoy
to the country has said.
“The number of students studying here has gone
up from 3,800 five years ago to 18,000 last year,
the same as in the USA, despite the steep hike in
the fees,” said Indian High Commissioner Kamalesh
Sharma, the chief guest at a meeting held to celebrate
India's Republic Day, organised on Monday night by
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, UK.
Speaking at the same function, lord Navnit Dholakia,
deputy leader of the liberal democrats in the House
of Lords said, “In the olden days educated Indians
were queuing up to come to the UK. But now the biggest
problem for the UK is to how to stop them from going
back to India.”
Sharma also pointed out that out of the 21,500 work
permits issued last year for software engineers by
the UK, 85 per cent were from India. Referring to
the rapid progress India has made in the last few
years, Sharma said that last year, Indian companies
invested 2 billion dollars in merger and acquisitions
world-wide.
He pointed out that apart from acquiring the Tetley
and Tyfoo tea companies, Tatas opened a design centre
in Coventry employing 1,000 people. Sir Gulam K Noon,
founder of the multi-million dollar noon products,
lauded the way secularism was being practiced in India
and told the gathering, “I am very proud to say
I am born in India.”
Lord Dholakia said that reflecting the growing India-UK
relations, delegations after delegations from the
UK were now visiting India. Not only did Prime Minister
Tony Blair visit India while returning from China,
the US President George W Bush is now planning a visit
to New Delhi, he pointed out.
The function was also attended by Maneck Dalal, chairman
of the Bhavan, Dr Atul Khare, director Nehru Centre
and K S Bhardwaj, Minister for Press and Information
in the High Commission.
