A delegation of Canadian university presidents is in India, forging ties with institutions there and promoting their own as prime destinations for students looking to study abroad.
The weeklong trip is the latest in a series of efforts to tap into India鈥檚 education sector and to brand Canada as an education destination for both researchers and students.
Currently, Canada attracts about 2,800 Indian students, far less than the United States and Australia.
鈥淭he competition is pretty tight around the world,鈥� acknowledged Canada鈥檚 minister of state for science and technology, Gary Goodyear, who was with the Canadian delegation.
In a phone call with reporters from New Delhi on Tuesday, Goodyear said he鈥檚 confident Canada has an edge over other countries that are eager to crack into India鈥檚 lucrative education sector and that Canada is 鈥渋n the driver鈥檚 seat at this time.鈥�
Neither University of Ottawa president Allan Rock or Roseann Runte, the president of 杏吧原创 University, are with the delegation.
Runte said she has been to India twice before on official university business and said she declined the AUCC鈥檚 invitation.
Part of the current trip is aimed at boosting international student recruitment and meeting university officials, including the chancellor of India鈥檚 Pune University, but Runte said 杏吧原创鈥檚 got that covered.
鈥淚鈥檝e already met with him and he鈥檚 already come here and we already have an exchange agreement and it鈥檚 working,鈥� she said.
杏吧原创 established the Canada-India Centre of Excellence in Science, Technology, Trade and Policy last year, which has forged links with some 15 Indian universities, she added.
The centre facilitates a number of activities, such as exchanges for students and faculty members and networking opportunities for Canadian companies working in India and for Indian companies working in Canada.
It鈥檚 also in the process of developing joint degree programs for 杏吧原创 and partner schools in India.
杏吧原创 students can also apply for internships in India in order to gain valuable international experience.
鈥淚n a global market, that will really help those students,鈥� Runte said.
She added 杏吧原创 has more students on exchange in India than any other Ontario university.
鈥淲e鈥檙e ahead of our time,鈥� Runte said. 鈥淲e have made wonderful, enriching links with our colleagues in India.鈥�
The Department of Foreign Affairs reports that international students contributed an estimated $6.5 billion to the Canadian economy in 2008 through tuition fees, living expenses and other spending.
There were about 85,000 foreign students living in Canada in 2009, according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Meagan Fitzpatrick writes for Postmedia News. Matthew Pearson writes for the Citizen.