Isle of learning

Isle of learning

Ciarán Cannon, TD, Ireland’s Minister for Education and Skills, on a recent education mission to India, speaks with Ruchi Chopda on Ireland as a study destination for Indian students

Traditionally, Ireland has looked within the EU and towards the US for foreign student intakes. Why has the focus now shifted to countries like China and India? Ireland has always had strong links with the US and Europe. Over a thousand global companies, mainly from the US and Europe, are based in Ireland, including household names like Google, Apple, Facebook and Paypal. These strong links are reflected in our international student population, which is why we are a top 10 destination for US study abroad students.
    But, Ireland is a high-tech, open economy and we need to work with countries that will be driving global growth. That means we must build our links with countries like India, and we see no better way than to educate Indian students and help kick-start their careers.
With the UK shrouded in controversy over visa regulations and high tuition fees, how does Ireland plan to leverage the situation to its benefit? Well, let me clear about the Irish Government’s intentions. We want more Indian students to choose Ireland. In fact, we want to double our numbers.
    We are ensuring that necessary steps are taken to make Ireland an open and welcoming destination for Indian students. We have not only reformed our visa and immigration system but our universities, institutes of technology and colleges, with government support, are also committing to India in a large way. My visit is the start of a major campaign by Ireland–we are going to keep coming back to India, to listen to what Indian students want, so as to ensure that we offer them an education that meets their needs at a reasonable cost. Compared to popular destinations like the US, UK and Canada, what edge does Ireland provide to Indian students? Ireland is good for business, education, and careers. If Indian students are interested in an education that can help kick-start their global career, Ireland is the place for them.
    Our universities and Dublin Institute of Technology rank in the top five per cent globally; our institutes of technology are strongly focused on business needs and we have private colleges which are very strong in a range of specialist areas.
    We are the second largest software exporter in the world. Over a thousand global companies have located in Ireland. So we understand business and our education system is very enterprise-focused.
    A few years ago, a European Union survey found that global employers regard Irish-educated graduates as the most employable in the world. Our capital city Dublin is ranked number one in the world for human capital and one of the 10 best places in the world to be a student.
    Ireland is a great place to be an international student. The International Student Barometer ranks Ireland of all other English-speaking countries, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands for international student satisfaction. We are a safe place, and our costs are reasonable - consistent with other Englishspeaking destinations.
Ireland has recently relaxed its visa requirements in order to attract more Indian students. Could you shed some light on these changes and how students can look to benefit from them? We know visas and immigration are big issues for other countries. Our visa approval rates in India are in line with our competitors. We have introduced fast-tracking for Irish-accredited degree programmes and innovative ways of dealing with verification of finances. Our visa office in New Delhi works closely with a number of trusted agents to make sure the process works smoothly. We also allow students to stay for up to a year to find work in Ireland post graduation.
What are the unique courses that Indian students can pursue at institutes in Ireland? Ireland has invested hugely in our education system over the past number of decades, and more recently in high-end research. We are now a global player in research and development, and one of the top 20 research nations in the world.
    We have huge strengths in science and engineering and are number one in the world in molecular genetics and top ten in immunology and materials science. We’re in the top one per cent globally in 18 different fields such as engineering, computer science clinical medicine, chemistry, physics, agriculture, environment and ecology, and social sciences.
Which are the most popular courses among Indian students coming to Ireland? Around a quarter of the Indian students in Ireland are working at the PhD level, in areas such as science and healthcare. Around a third study business, and another third study science and computer science.
You have announced a special scholarship for Indian students. Could you tell us more about this scholarship? The Irish Government has launched a scholarship which is specifically targeted at building our links with economies such as India. These are very valuable and prestigious: full fee waivers and a grant of over Rs 7,10,000. Last year, we gave 15 of the 22 scholarships to India students. We are working with our institutions on the 2013 round, and we’ll be making a call for Indian students to apply in February next year.