The Education Ministry on Wednesday launched the Study In India (SII) portal with a vision to promote Indian education to foreign students and re-establish India as a global hub of education.
Union Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar jointly inaugurated the Portal in New Delhi, which is a one-stop platform that will simplify international students' academic journey in India.
On the occasion, students from Russia, Thailand, Japan, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, and the Republic of Korea who are currently studying in India presented souvenirs from their cultures as a token of respect to dignitaries.
The portal will provide comprehensive information about Indian Higher Education Institutions and also present information about academic facilities, research support, and related information. It will also provide an integrated one-stop solution for the student registration and visa application processes.
The Study in India (SII) Portal will illustrate academic programmes covering but not limited to undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG), and doctoral-level programmes as well as courses in Indian Knowledge systems like Yoga, Ayurveda, classical arts, etc.
"The launch of this portal is aimed at making India a hub of global education by welcoming students from diverse backgrounds. It will also help us establish a strong international footprint for India in the education sphere. I note the integrated approach of the portal, which enables user friendly application processes for international students, from registration to visa approval. This simplifies their entire journey, facilitating the choice of desired courses and receiving offers from relevant institutions," Mr Jaishankar said at the launch.
From an Indian perspective, there is no doubt that the presence of international students will be to the benefit of domestic students. It will connect the students more closely to the globalising world and prepare them better for the global workplace. Having students from other countries study with you creates a better understanding of their cultures, habits, traditions, and even thinking, he said.
"When such students go back to their societies of origin, they truly become ambassadors of goodwill for India, sometimes even more so," he added.