UK schools woo Indian students

Updated on: Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Till now it has been universities and colleges from overseas sending delegations to woo Indian students for higher education. In a new trend, a delegation of headmasters of UK independent boarding schools are on a visit to India to explore the growing need of parents with means, willing to provide quality education to their children even though it comes at a cost.

A significant increase in the number of enquiries from parents in India about school and secondary education in the UK in the recent past was what prompted the visit. For education that costs a premium, between 20,000 and 55,000 a year, it came as a surprise to the visiting delegation that more than two-thirds of the parents they met in Mumbai and other parts of the country were not worried about affordability.

What they want is, like a parent aptly mentioned, to enable our children to be able to create a better future for themselves than leave them an inheritance, says Julie Dowling, headmistress, Abbots Bromley School.

Caitriona Redding, head of international admissions, Oundle School, says that besides proficiency in English and in science and mathematics, what schools look for is also talent in a child which might not be fully formed and also not necessarily academic like dance or arts.

Mark Heywood, headmaster, The Royal Wolverhampton School, says that his school already has six students from India, four hailing from Punjab and two from rural Rajasthan. Parents in India understand that children will get a global perspective and build future contacts when they study in schools that house children from as many as 23 nationalities, he says.

He adds that similarities in education between India and UK, from similar curriculum and high aspirations of parents, to teachers wanting to give their best for each child, are many. State-of-the-art facilities and advanced technology, besides multiculturalism that a student is exposed to in these schools, help him/her in making the transition to the new environment smoother.

What the members of the consortium are also looking at are partnerships and collaborations for pupil and teacher exchanges with premier Indian schools to provide a first-hand exposure and enable knowledge exchange.

Times of India

UK schools woo Indian students

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