GLOBAL CITIZEN - Erasmus+: A New Chapter in EU-India Educational Ties
Ishani Duttagupta
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The Erasmus Mundus programme has provided a pathway for Indian students to study in European Union countries, and gain mobility across universities there. India was at the forefront of the programme with around 3,000 Indian students and scholars having studied and researched in European universities in the past decade. Around 50 Indian universities have also been involved in these partnerships.Since 2008, EU and India have been engaged in jointly promoting higher education. The partnership started as a mutually beneficial mechanism for the exchange of information and experiences, of best practices, as well as a process of peer learning between administrations.
From 2014, with the launch of the new Erasmus Plus programme (2014-2020), the European Union is looking at a new chapter in educational ties with India to increase the visibility and popularity of the region as a popular higher educational destination for Indian students. Currently, there are around 50,000 Indian students enrolled in higher education institutions across EU.
“In the past, India has been the No.1 destination for Erasmus students and we are looking at attracting the same kind of interest for the new programme too,“ said Brian Toll, senior policy adviser, international cooperation in education and youth, European Commission, Brussels He said Erasmus+ provides new opportunities for cooperation between Indian and EU universities, including joint degrees, and also mobility for Indian students to study in the EU.
“With increasing globalisation of education, Indian students will benefit in a big way from the EU-funded Erasmus programme. An exposure to higher education in the best of universities in Europe often paves the way for jobs across the world. The universities covered by the Erasmus programme are recognised as among the best globally ,“ said Toll.
Despite a great deal of interest in higher education in Europe in the past, European Commission authorities are concerned over the slow pickup in enthusiasm for Erasmus+ which was launched last year despite substantial scholarships to cover travel, living expenses and tuition for diverse courses across Europe.
“The policy-level partnership be tween India and EU has only deepened through Erasmus+ with India having been signed up as a strategic partner. Besides students, Erasmus+ also provides an opportunity for the university authorities, faculty members and administrative staff in India to get involved in the projects and increase their understanding about the European educational system,“ Toll said.
The programme now covers shortterm mobility and exchanges both ways; joint degrees and institutional capacity-building.
While in the short-term students from India can visit universities in Europe to study and earn credits from there, and fi nally get an Indian degree. In the long term they can en roll for joint mas ter's programmes in one or more European univer sities and earn joint master's de grees with Indian universities. “The funding for such programmes is substantial and covers board, lodging, tuition and airfare when in Europe. It works out to around 25,000 per year per student on an average for master's degrees,“ Toll said.
The overall funding for Erasmus+ till 2020 is 14.7 billion covering institutions and students. Further, 1.68 billion is available for international cooperation with countries outside Europe.
Erasmus+ programmes cover a range of subjects including engineering, technology , maths, science and liberal arts. “The STEM courses have been very popular among Indian students in the past. Many of them have stayed back in Europe for their student projects and internships, which is the first step towards global job opportunities,“ Toll said.
From 2014, with the launch of the new Erasmus Plus programme (2014-2020), the European Union is looking at a new chapter in educational ties with India to increase the visibility and popularity of the region as a popular higher educational destination for Indian students. Currently, there are around 50,000 Indian students enrolled in higher education institutions across EU.
“In the past, India has been the No.1 destination for Erasmus students and we are looking at attracting the same kind of interest for the new programme too,“ said Brian Toll, senior policy adviser, international cooperation in education and youth, European Commission, Brussels He said Erasmus+ provides new opportunities for cooperation between Indian and EU universities, including joint degrees, and also mobility for Indian students to study in the EU.
“With increasing globalisation of education, Indian students will benefit in a big way from the EU-funded Erasmus programme. An exposure to higher education in the best of universities in Europe often paves the way for jobs across the world. The universities covered by the Erasmus programme are recognised as among the best globally ,“ said Toll.
Despite a great deal of interest in higher education in Europe in the past, European Commission authorities are concerned over the slow pickup in enthusiasm for Erasmus+ which was launched last year despite substantial scholarships to cover travel, living expenses and tuition for diverse courses across Europe.
“The policy-level partnership be tween India and EU has only deepened through Erasmus+ with India having been signed up as a strategic partner. Besides students, Erasmus+ also provides an opportunity for the university authorities, faculty members and administrative staff in India to get involved in the projects and increase their understanding about the European educational system,“ Toll said.
The programme now covers shortterm mobility and exchanges both ways; joint degrees and institutional capacity-building.
While in the short-term students from India can visit universities in Europe to study and earn credits from there, and fi nally get an Indian degree. In the long term they can en roll for joint mas ter's programmes in one or more European univer sities and earn joint master's de grees with Indian universities. “The funding for such programmes is substantial and covers board, lodging, tuition and airfare when in Europe. It works out to around 25,000 per year per student on an average for master's degrees,“ Toll said.
The overall funding for Erasmus+ till 2020 is 14.7 billion covering institutions and students. Further, 1.68 billion is available for international cooperation with countries outside Europe.
Erasmus+ programmes cover a range of subjects including engineering, technology , maths, science and liberal arts. “The STEM courses have been very popular among Indian students in the past. Many of them have stayed back in Europe for their student projects and internships, which is the first step towards global job opportunities,“ Toll said.
Source: Economic Times, 2-11-2015
