EU universities woo Indian students with English

CHENNAI: Usted no entiende Espanol? Te gustaria que yo hablara en Ingles? The US has for long been the destination of choice for Indian students in search of quality higher education and the UK, Australia and Canada the most viable alternatives. Top-notch universities, a wide range of courses, high-paying jobs make these nations the natural choice for students from India and other Asian countries. But a fact often overlooked is that the medium of instruction is English, a language that most Indian students speak fluently. Universities in European countries, like Institut d'etudes Politiques de Paris (Paris Institute of Political Science), ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) and Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin, for example, are all highly rated but not on the radar of students from India. But that may soon change, with universities in Germany, Netherlands, France, Spain and Italy looking to attract Indian students by offering programmes in English. "More countries are opening up to the idea of offering English-medium courses. It is the result of efforts by different countries to internationalise education," says Naveen Chopra, chairman of overseas educational consultants The Chopras. "The movement is growing." "Education is big business and several countries want to do everything they can to bring in students," Chopra says. TOI