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| Wednsday, November 14, 2007
“Creativity valued in U.S. varsities”
International Education Week featuring programmes related to
U.S. education inaugurated
CHENNAI: “Indian students have a very good reputation
in the United States. They are conscientious, bright and hardworking,”
said Fredrick Kaplan, Consul for Public Affairs at the U.S.
Consulate in Chennai, at a meeting here on Tuesday.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the International Education
Week, which will feature a series of programmes and presentations
related to higher education in the U.S., to be held at different
venues till Friday.
“One option that foreign students ought to consider but
largely do not are the community colleges, which cost lesser,”
he said.
Elaborating on the teaching methods adopted in the U.S., Mr.
Kaplan said professors expected students to be active participants
in class. Their capabilities were tested through a series of
assignments and presentations. “Students’ creativity
is highly valued,” he added.
Consul for Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Consulate in Chennai
Ragini Gupta said that last year over 80,000 Indian students
studied at colleges and universities in the U.S. In the academic
year 2005-06, there was a 20 per cent increase in the number
of American students studying in India, she said.
Anna University Vice-Chancellor D. Viswanathan said that during
his recent visit to the U.S., he made note of the superior infrastructure
made available to students at universities.
“The teachers are highly experienced. Some colleges here
tend to appoint fresh graduates or postgraduates as lecturers,”
he added.
Emphasising the need for exposure, particularly in enhancing
students’ employability, he said Anna University had collaborated
with nearly 50 foreign institutions to enable faculty and student
exchange programmes.
Devendra Kumar Saharia, chairman of the American Chamber of
Commerce’s Tamil Nadu Chapter and president of Ajuba Solutions,
spoke on the increasing access to information on higher education
as compared to the scenario a few years ago.
As a student who pursued his higher studies in the U.S., he
said the system encouraged students to ask questions and think
creatively. “The diversity in universities and the exposure
the experience can offer are amazing,” he said.
Courtesy: The Hindu
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