Canadian universities line up for India

Updated on: Thursday, March 18, 2010

Toronto: After the Indian Cabinet cleared a proposal to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India on Monday - a step that is expected to provide quality education in the country and reduce the flow of Indian students abroad - many Canadian universities and colleges are looking forward to the Indian Parliament passing the Bill.

Welcoming the Bill, Husain Neemuchwala of the Canada-India Business Council Education Committee, said, "The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, the Canada-India Business Council and we have been lobbying Canadian universities to open campuses in India.”

Very often Indian students are unable to make it to Canadian campuses due to visa problems. This Bill is a welcome step to overcome this problem. Neemuchwala further added, “The Indian Bill solves all these problems. Now Canadian universities will go there and impart world-class education. All visa hassles will be over for Indian students."

"This is a milestone, which will enhance choices, increase competition, and benchmark quality," Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal said after a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Quite a few Canadian universities already run programmes in India.

Currently, the universities and colleges from Canada and the US, run 26 collaborative projects in India with local universities and colleges.

"York has just started its prestigious Schulich MBA programme in India in collaboration with the S P Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai. Under this programme, students will complete the first year in Mumbai and then come to Toronto to complete the second year. So Indian students will have the best of both the worlds," said Husain who also heads the Toronto-based International Centre for Education.

Roseann O'Reilly Runte, President and Vice Chancellor of Carleton University, was in India last week to seek support for its Centre of Excellence for Indo-Canadian Relations.

"As India continues to be a significant player on the world stage, it will become more important to develop greater expertise in the Canada-India relationship," she said during her India trip.

Well-known Canadian colleges like Sheridan, Pickering and Quest here are also eager to forge ties with India through collaboration and campuses.

Canadian universities line up for India

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