Rising foreign influx into international schools

Even as the annual inflow of foreign students into the country’s crumbling institutions of higher education has declined, a quiet revolution is transforming India into an international hub of high quality english medium secondary education. Summiya Yasmeen investigates Following the liberalisation and deregulation of the Indian economy since 1991, a quiet revolution is transforming india into an international hub of high quality English medium secondary school education. paradoxically, even as the annual inflow of foreign students into the country’s crumbling institutions of higher education has declined from 12,765 in 1993 to 7,745 in 2005, the number of foreign and NRI (non-resident Indian) students in India’s new genre of five-star international schools characterised by globally benchmarked infrastructure and affiliations with British, American and European examination boards, has risen commensurately. In post-liberalisation India, students from countries as diverse as Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Germany are becoming de rigueur in the country’s estimated 70 international schools boasting state-of-the-art academic and sports facilities and residential accommodation. According to expert estimates, the aggregate enrollment of foreign students in India’s traditional and nexgen international schools is over 10,000 currently — and rising. Landed with high capital costs (Rs.30-100 crore) and distant break-even horizons, promoter-managers of India’s new international schools — usually businessmen transformed into educationists or edupreneurs driven by a combination of philanthropy and enterprise — have exhibited enviable marketing strategies. Through quiet but sustained participation in education road shows abroad particularly in Thailand, Korea and the Middle East, they have marketed India’s competitively priced five-star schools very effectively. For instance in 2003-04 the state-of-the-art Indus International School, Bangalore (estb.2002), affiliated with the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO), Geneva, made eight promotional tours of Middle East countries, from which it has 15 students enrolled currently. “India’s new-style international schools should be given full credit for establishing India as a hub of world class secondary school education in record time. Globally benchmarked and affiliated with highly respected examination boards such as IBO, Geneva and CIE, UK, they offer excellent residential and sports facilities and employ highly qualified and well-trained teachers. All this, plus year round sunshine is offered to foreign students at a fraction of the price of upscale boarding schools in the West. These five-star school managements have big marketing budgets and excellent marketing skills which are regularly showcased in education fairs in South-east Asian and Middle East countries. As a consequence India is becoming a favoured education destination for school education and we receive regular inquiries from parents in these countries about school options here,” says Siddharth Jain, the Delhi-based marketing director of Global Events and Expositions (estb. 2003), which has thus far conducted 31 education exhibitions across India. In November this year Global Events plans to stage an international education fair which will tour Thailand, Mauritius, Dubai and Sri Lanka showcasing a “large number” of post-liberalisation India’s new genre, globally benchmarked international schools. Unsurprisingly, of the estimated 10,000 foreign students in India’s secondary schools, the largest concentration is in Bangalore (pop. 7 million) — the information technology…