Russian Education Fair
Visitors enquiring about universities at the one-day Russian Education Fair held in Coimbatore on Tuesday. Representatives of a handful of Russian universities were in the city on Tuesday speaking to students on the prospects of pursuing higher education in Russia. They cleared the doubts of the students regarding the scope of the subjects, fees, scholarships and accommodation facilities. The one-day Russian Education Fair jointly organised by the Russian Cultural Centre and Study Abroad Educational Consultants gave an overview of the educational opportunities in Russia.
It had two medical universities, three engineering universities and one finance academy. A majority of Indian students opted for medicine in Russian universities. “This could be because of the unavailability of medical seats in India. There are only 2,800 seats in the Government sector for which about one lakh students take the examination,” said C.Suresh Babu, Director of Study Abroad Educational Consultants. Though finding placements in Russia was not difficult, the remuneration might not be attractive from a student’s point of view. Most of the students preferred to practice in India or migrate to other countries, he added.
Medical education was much cheaper in Russia compared with countries such as the U.K. and the U.S. The six-year course would cost just about Rs.12 lakh, Mr.Babu said. The universities at the fair were all registered universities.However, the students who studied there would have to undergo a screening test by the national board of examinations in India and complete one year of internship at a Government Hospital. Though the medium of instruction would be English, the students would have to undergo a basic course in Russian for functional purposes.
“The Government has declared 2008 as the year of Russia in India and we are also seeing a lot of Russian projects being implemented in the country. There is a great demand for graduates with knowledge of Russian in India,” Mr.Babu said. In the case of engineering, Russia was strong in its non-IT (information technology) sectors especially, instrumentation. The finance academy was a new addition to the fair which was held every year.
The academy had tied up with the national banks of India and would throw open a lot of opportunities here, he observed. “The education fair was organised mainly to create awareness among the student community on the universities in Russia and the courses available,” he added.The universities had their intake in September. Apart from Coimbatore, the fair would also be held at Hyderabad and Mumbai.
