British high commissioners wants more UK students in India

CHENNAI: The British High Commission will initiate steps to ensure that more British students complete a portion of their studies in India as the flow of students between the two countries was very uneven at present, said British high commissioner in India Sir Richard Stagg.
Speaking to students at the Asian College of Journalism here on Tuesday, he said that such a move would provide huge benefits for both the countries."India has a very large, very young population which can be either a huge asset or a liability. Our own population in the UK is ageing. There is going to be a shortage of young workers there in the future," he said. Approximately 35,000 Indian students are studying in the UK, while the number of British students in India is far lower than that.
Pointing out that a good education and skills training were very important, the British envoy pointed out that "the education systems of both the countries were rather well-aligned". "You (India) have got very high calibre faculty and teach the same sort of subjects but cost much lower. The subjects (that can be pursued) range from anthropology to economics. If a British student spends six months of his/her course in India, I think they would get a lot of added value. It would be a sort of academic tourism as the student would get different ideas and perspectives on subjects by spending some time here rather than spending a year in Manchester, for instance. They will be better able to get a good degree," Stagg added.
Touching on the debate of environment and climate change in India, he said it had gone through a major transformation in the last two years. Pronouncing the media as one of the factors behind this, the British high commissioner said that the debate here had moved beyond just holding the developed countries responsible for the increase in emissions to becoming more perceptive and three-dimensional. "There is discussion on where India's own interests lie and what will be the best outcomes for India. Clearly, there is new information and new perception of information that is getting into people's minds. It is a more subterranean process of change," he said.