Japan urged to boost intake of Indian students through English-medium, other attractive courses
BENGALURU: Japan has been urged to strengthen its appeal as a higher education destination for Indian students by expanding English-medium programmes and introducing more accessible language learning avenues.
The suggestion came at the India–Japan Higher Education Conclave held in Bengaluru, where representatives from both countries discussed ways to bridge the gap in student mobility.
C. Rajkumar, Vice-Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University, said, "Only 1,500 Indian students go to Japan for higher education. And the number of students coming from Japan to India is even low."
He made the remark while hosting a delegation from the University of Tokyo at the conclave. Rajkumar added, "Looking at the culture, traditions, easier access to visa amid US visa curbs, strong strategic partner in Asia for India, Japan could be another destination for our students to pursue higher education. It is high time that Japan also establishes an institution like Alliance Française and Goethe-Institut to promote language so that more students from India can travel to Japan for higher education and work."
Meanwhile, Kaori Hayashi, Executive Vice-President for Global and Diversity Affairs at the University of Tokyo, highlighted the language barrier allegedly faced by many Indian students, who often choose countries such as the US, UK and Australia for this reason.
She said, "At the University of Tokyo, we have only 80 Indian students who have come to pursue higher education in various disciplines. This is the reason why the University of Tokyo is working to introduce a good number of courses in English medium for UG courses. Besides the language, I would also say that the tuition fee incurred in the University of Tokyo is 3,000 US$, which is low when compared to other countries. The fee is the same for students from Japan and India. We treat foreign students equally."
She further added, "We have come to India, especially Bengaluru, a hub of science and technology, to understand the demands of students and parents, build tie-ups with Indian institutions, engage with key stakeholders in higher education and have industry-level partnerships so that we can introduce courses accordingly to attract more students to Japan."
When asked which courses Indian students prefer to pursue in Japan, she said, "Most students who come to Japan for higher education choose engineering sciences, mathematics and STEM courses. Similarly, the trend among Japanese students who come to India for higher education has also changed. Earlier, they used to choose subjects like philosophy, history etc; now they choose subjects related to data science and more."
Under a short-term study abroad programme, 40 students from O.P. Jindal Global University will visit the University of Tokyo for a three-week academic and cultural immersion.