Better outreach procedures are required to meet India’s target of 1.5 – 2.5 lakh international students by 2022, according to this survey conducted by the CII, in partnership with EdCIL India Limited.
Following are the key findings of the survey
1) 95 per cent institutions said they get international students through government agencies such as EdCIL and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations
2) 96 per cent institutions depend on their websites to do the promotion
3) Roughly 47 per cent also use social media, mainly Facebook
4) Institutes handle queries from prospective students from overseas through email
5) Technology has not made inroads yet in handling overseas traffic
6) International students are provided pre-arrival support in the form of help with paperwork for visas, arranging equivalency of degrees and getting a dedicated officer or a buddy to answer queries
7) Popular forms of on-arrival support include orientation programmes, guided tours of campuses, help with opening of bank accounts, procurement of local SIM cards, medical insurance and welcome kits with dos and don’ts
8) Hostel accommodation is available with modern facilities and multiple cuisine options
9) Security arrangements include regular updates to regional registration offices for foreigners, monitoring through closed-circuit cameras and hotlines in case of emergency
10) Sports is a popular form of cultural assimilation and dedicated sessions are organised in cultural events
11) Recommendations are sent to Indian companies present overseas to provide internship opportunities to international students in their home countries. The majority of the institutes which responded to the EdCIL-CII Study in India Survey 2019 are public-funded institutes. Among others, there are 5 IIITs, 11 IITs, 5 NITs, 2 IISERs, 2 IIMs, 4 Central universities and 4 state universities which completed the survey. Given the high level of aspiration of some of the leading private institutions for recruiting foreign students, their enhanced inputs are expected to add value to the survey in future.
It was released at the CII Education Summit held on 14 November in New Delhi