Hyderabad: Even as foreign universities set up campuses in India, UK leaders remain confident of attracting Indian students to their country. Oliver Coppard, mayor of South Yorkshire, said the region was doing everything it could to overcome visa and immigration hurdles and ensure that “the brightest and the best of India” chose to study there.“What we can do is make sure students get the warmest welcome possible and all the support they need,” Coppard told TOI at the ICFAI University campus on Wednesday. However, he underlined that policy decisions ultimately rest with the national govt. The 45-year-old acknowledged the challenges, particularly economic ones, but said the opportunities offered by the region made it worth considering.“Indians should absolutely look at South Yorkshire as a place that they can come to, where they will be welcomed with open arms, where there is political leadership that says it is a positive thing,” Coppard said. He is part of a delegation of seven mayors and representatives of 12 universities that has travelled to India to turn the recently implemented UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) into an opportunity for regional economic growth.Coppard, who was chair of the Sheffield Hallam Students’ Union before becoming mayor, described the growing presence of foreign universities, including UK institutions, in India as an interesting development. With about 20,000 Sheffield Hallam alumni in Telangana, he said, there was a base to build on. “There can be more students here and more students in the UK — both of those things are a positive development,” he said, adding that online courses would also widen access.Dharmendra Shadija, head of the School of Computing and Digital Technologies at Sheffield Hallam University, which signed an MoU with ICFAI on Wednesday to strengthen academic and research collaboration, said the scale of the visit itself addressed concerns about uncertainty. “Having policymakers champion that for us is important,” he said, adding that UK universities were lobbying the govt on visa issues.International students, he said, make education “much more relevant” and are not just a source of income and pointed out to China, where UK campuses have operated for 20 years without a drop in the number of students heading to the UK. Most Indian students go to the UK for master’s degrees, he said, adding that studying at a UK university’s Indian campus could make the transition to the UK much more natural.ICFAI vice-chancellor A Vinay Kumar said universities could no longer rely on their brand or country of origin alone and needed to offer a compelling student experience, particularly as students increasingly prioritise outcomes – that is employment.“With job markets shrinking in Europe, the US and Canada, and many students carrying loans, they are rethinking their options. An Indian campus offering a similar experience could deliver the whole thing in maybe 30% of the cost, living expenses included, with better career pathways at home,” he said. The VC also said that as immigration politics in Western countries turn hostile, India would need to build an ecosystem capable of absorbing H-1B visa holders if they began returning.
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