Attractive scholarships, niche courses, international exposure, lucrative internship opportunities – these are a few things that the education fair, ‘Education in Ireland - Tour to India’, is trumpeting to Indian students interested in studying in the island nation. The event kick-started in Chennai on November 16 at the Taj Coromandel hotel and will be held in Bangalore ( November 17), Mumbai ( November 20) and New Delhi ( November 23). Representatives from 17 universities are touring the four cities and offering counselling on the courses available. While the average tuition fees for a Masters degree in a Management course was around €11,500 and the living cost was pegged at €10,000 per year, scholarships could ease the burden of an education loan for meritorious students.

Johanna Walsh of National University of Ireland, Galway (NIUG), said three Indian students received scholarships to study in the university last year. While the university waived itstuition fees, the government gave the students €10,000 to cover the cost of living there. Gary Osborne, of Dublin City University, said two students were awarded scholarships in the university last year; both of them were in the coveted course, MSc in Cloud Computing and Commerce. Una Condron, of University College Dublin (UCD), said that this year they are going to launch a scholarship programme that will waive tuition fees of 100 Indian students across disciplines. “In an effort to tap the best minds of the country, we have a special programme for Delhi University under-graduate students where the best student in any discipline is awarded a scholarship to pursue their Masters degree in UCD,” said Cordon. The universities acknowledge the necessity of internships as a tool of industrial exposure. For instance, the MSc in International Management course mandates a two-week internship in foreign companies.

Students go to places such as Hong Kong and the trip is heavily subsidised, said Walsh of NIUG. As Ireland is experiencing an increasing inflow of Indian students, it is taking measures to make the visa process smooth and hassle-free for students. James Mackrill, Manager, Enterprise Ireland, India, China, Russia, said that the visa authorities are upgrading their facilities to make the procedure faster. Kritarth Seth, who did his Masters in Bio-Technology from University College Cork (UCC), emphasised the importance of internships for academic as well as employment opportunities. He got a chance to intern with Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority of Ireland. “Since I was not getting paid by Teagasc, UCC gave me an allowance of €250 per month to meet the expenses,” Seth said. Some students who attended the fair said they were interested in pursuing further education in Ireland because their peers and seniors have had a good experience there. Seth affirmed the reputation of Ireland as a hospitable nation, and added, “It does not take too much time to adjust as the folks are pretty happy-go-lucky there. That way it is more attractive than other academic destinations.”

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