|
 The
two-day UK Education Fair 2001, organised by
The British Council in Taj Krishna, has provided
an ideal opportunity for the aspiring candidates to
know more about the British education system. The fair
was attended by more than one hundred academicians representing
about 60 universities of England.
The venue of the fair resembled a campus with young
girls and boys trying to know more about the system
of education in Britain. And the representatives of
the universities did not disappoint them, and provided
information patiently to their queries and tried to
solve the misconceptions about British education. The
two-day education fair has attracted more than 10,000
students.
 "The
enthusiasm shown by the students in this fair is certainly
tremendous," says Sudhakaraiah, of the education
counselling services of the British Council division
of South India. He said that this year most of the candidates
have shown special interest in management, IT and engineering
courses. "The UK welcomes students from India to
mix with the growing community of nearly 8,00,000 international
students currently staying there. The number from India
has increased over the last five years and is now higher
than ever before," says Sudhakaraiah.
 Although
the number of students going to UK is certainly increasing,
many people don't have proper guidance about the British
education system. The candidates who visited the fair
wanted to know about the cost of living, job opportunities,
course structure and fee structure. Answering some of
their queries David Bebb of Writtle College,
University of Essexe says, "In UK, undergraduate
courses are three years in duration and postgraduate
courses can be finished in one year and the annual fee
ranges from 6000 pounds to 9000 pounds depending on
the nature of the course. And living expenses vary from
place to place. But, on an average they cost around
6000 pounds. And while doing your course you are allowed
to work for 20 hours a week and after finishing the
study you still have the option of staying there by
applying for a work visa." The candidates have to
finance themself since British Universities do not offer
scholarships.
 But
how about getting the visa? "Student visas are relatively
easy to obtain. Ninety percent of all applicants from
India with confirmed admission and evidence of financial
support are issued visas within two weeks," says
Sudhakaraiah from British Council.
 Though
it is relatively easy to get a visa to Britain, the
candidates who attended the fair expressed mixed reactions.
Says an Engineering student Satish Chandra, "The
British system of education looks good but the cost
of study and other expenses are something which we have
to think very seriously", while an MBA student
Bharat Reddy says, "A British degree is much valued
and it is worth investing to earn it."
Whatever be the opinions, the UK Education Fair has
certainly provided an opportunity to understand the
British system of education in a better way.
For further information contact:
British Library,
5-9-22, Sarovar Centre,
Secretariat Road, Hyderabad -560 063
Ph: +91-40-2348 3333 Fax: +91-40-2348 3100
Email: blhyderabad@in.britishcouncil.org
URL : www.educationuk.org
Useful sites on British education:
www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/ukinfo/ac/working.alpha.html
(A gateway to most of UK's higher education institutions
websites)
www.britcoun.org/eis/rsinfo.htm
(provides a list of comparative ratings by discipline
of research output by British Universities. |
