US envoy fuels career hope for students

GUWAHATI: In news that is sure to cheer students aspiring to study abroad, the US consul general in Kolkata for east and northeast India, Craig Hall, urged students from the region to apply for higher studies in America.

"The number of Indian students travelling to the US is going up every year. From 30,000 students 10 years ago, the number of Indians studying in America increased to 1,30,000 last year," Hall told students at an interactive session in Cotton College State University on Tuesday.

The session also discussed the growing India-US partnership, especially in the education sector.

Hall rued that the number of US students coming to India to pursue higher education was less but added that both countries were working on facilitating student exchange.

The consul general also asked students interested in studying in the US to avail themselves of free consultation services offered by the EducationUSA office in Kolkata.

Replying to a question on the impact of the presidential election on job opportunities for foreigners, Hall said the US was facing the same problems of globalization as any other country, including India. He specially mentioned high unemployment in the manufacturing sector in his country due to availability of cheap labour elsewhere.