France wants to host more Indian students: Sarkozy

Updated on: Tuesday, December 07, 2010

French President Nicolas Sarkozy invited Indian students to study in France and offered to expand ties with Indian universities. Sarkozy said, during his four-day official visit to India, "France wants to host more Indian students. We can educate and train young Indians in cutting-edge research."

Sarkozy said that his government has established a specific system to accommodate foreign students in France. "I hope that by 2012, we will have tripled the number of Indian students in France, compared with 2007. We are also providing special support to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Jodhpur in Rajasthan," Sarkozy said.

Mentioning the Field Medals awarded to French scientists for their outstanding discoveries in mathematics by the International Mathematics Union at its congress in Hyderabad in August, Sarkozy said that the university reform and the research he had commissioned were bearing fruit and Indian students should also benefit from them.

"At the same time, I would like to see young French people expand their numbers at Indian universities and institutes of higher education. Experiencing India as a young person will be an incomparable asset in understanding today's world and preparing for a cosmopolitan life," Sarkozy summarised.

France wants to host more Indian students: Sarkozy

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