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Indian education fair opens

DUBAI — A number of boarding schools and higher education institutions offering undergraduate and graduate programmes in India are participating in the two-day Indian Education Show held at Hotel Sheraton, Creek, Dubai.

The show, held after three years in Dubai, is expected to once again become an annual event in the interest of the large Indian diaspora residing in the UAE and exploring educational opportunities for their children in reputed schools and universities in the subcontinent.

Several reputed institutions, participating in the fair, include the Acharya Institute of Management and Sciences, Bangalore, the Jain Group of Institutions, Eikon International, Dubai, Amber Valley Residential school, Chickmagalur, Riverdale International School, Pune, Christ Educational and Charitable Trust and Garden City College, Bangalore, among others.

The exhibition was formally opened yesterday by Kamal Raj Shah, Chief Operating Officer of Khaleej Times.

Hopeful of attracting a large segment of students from the UAE, academicians said, “The Indian educational institutions continue to be in big demand by the Indian diaspora in the Gulf and other countries.”

Poornima Jairaj, Executive Trustee of SVGH Education Trust running the Amber Valley Residential School in Chickmagalur in Karnataka, believes her school, currently offering classes from grades 1 to 8, with plans to start classes for grade nine from next year, has the right combination of good education standards at economical fee structure. "Currently we offer our own inhouse curriculum upto grade 8 integrating elements from the UK, the US, Australia and Indian education systems, but the school proposes to offer the IGCSE curriculum soon,” she said.

Deborah Yogachandra, Coordinator, Student Affairs at Riverdale International School located in Pune, has a handful of students from the UAE currently enrolled at the school. “But, we expect the numbers to grow because Riverdale is perhaps among the few international schools in India which apart from focussing on academics is focussed on offering moral excellence among each of its students.”

“The school, located on a 50 sq metres area in the picturesque Pune, currently has only 200 students,” said Deborah, adding that parents are turning up in big numbers seeking to enrol their children at RiverDale because of the focus on helping children develop their skills based on moral values. “We also plan to launch a Junior Youth empowerment programme directed at 12 to 15 years old,” she disclosed, explaining, the programme aims at imputing moral values in children to help them make the right decisions in life.

Radia Mukadam, PR manager for the Acharya Institute of Management in Bangalore, disclosed that based on the response from students in the UAE, the institution may in future offer admission facilities right in Dubai. She pointed out that the institution offers bachelors and masters programmes in business administration, computer applications and hotel management among others.

While many institutions have come from India, the Eikon International in Knowledge Village, an academic infrastructure provider for the Dubai campuses of Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus and the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies slated to open this year at the Academic City, is hoping to attract large number of Indian students among other nationals.

The two-day fair, which ends today, will remain open from 9.30am until 1pm and from 4pm to 10pm.