21 Oct 2013|Noida | Amity University Campus, Sector-125 Noida
European Union invite Amity students for higher studies under Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Program
Amity Institute of Social Sciences (AISS) and Erasmus Mundus Association and its India Chapter (EMA Indian Chapter) organized a Workshop on “Higher Education in Europe: Prospects and Perspectives” at Amity Campus, Sector- 125, Noida to disseminate awareness about the prestigious Erasmus Mundus Programme amongst Amity students and faculty members.
Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Program was started in 2004 by the European Union to attract the best of global talent to premier higher education institutes in Europe. The prestigious Erasmus Mundus program has attracted a huge popularity and has laid the foundation of a strong alumni association - EMA. EMA-Ind is the Indian division of the alumni association's regional chapters.
Welcoming the gathering, Prof. (Dr.) Nirupama Prakash, Director, Amity Institute of Social Sciences (AISS) said that the Workshop on “Higher Education in Europe: Prospects and Perspectives” , which is first ever of its kind, will bring together Indian and European Experts in Higher Education and immensely benefit both the countries.
Mr. Pavel Svitil, Minister-Counsellor, Deputy Head of Delegation, Delegation of the European Union to India, New Delhi expressed his delight on visiting Amity University and initiating cooperative alliance with a University which promotes internalization of education and life long education. Mr. Svitil shared that European Union , which is known as Research and study destination, has over 4, 000 Universities and Higher Education Institutions with over 19 million students and the numbers are increasing. Referring to UNESCO Report, Mr. Svitil said that Europe shares 46% of global students’ mobility and whereas, US and Canada combined share over 21%, which shows UK is a preferred destination for education as compared to US and Canada, as generally perceived. Dwelling on the education system in EU, Mr. Svitil shared that all the educational institutions of EU follow “Transfer Credit System” which offers flexibility to the students to pursue the disciplines of their choice in preferred institutions and the movement is seamless. He remarked that although Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Program will get over by 2014 but EU Government has plans to roll out new financial programmes to offer mobility to the students who cannot afford it in India and other countries. He even asked the students to share with him the problems they face in applying to Higher education Institutions in EU so that solutions could be found.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Ashok K Chauhan- Founder President, Amity Group said that Amity is beginning yet another era of internationalization of education through Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Programme which will provide Amity students global exposure, thereby making them global professionals. He suggested forming a team of seven members who could initiate concrete results of the proposed association.
Giving a glimpse of Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Program, Mr. Ateendra K. Singh, Vice President, EMA Indian Chapter outlined that Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Programme is a cooperation and mobility programme by European Union in the field of higher education which aims to promote European Union as a centre of excellence in learning around the world. The Programme endeavors to facilitate intercultural understanding through cooperation with Third Countries as well as for the development of Third Countries in the field of higher education. He shared that Erasmus Mundus Scholarship provide support to Higher Education Institutions that wish to implement joint programmes at postgraduate level ; individual students, researchers and university staff and any organization active in the field of higher education that wishes to develop projects aimed at enhancing the attractiveness, profile, visibility and image of European higher education worldwide.
Delivering keynote address during the Workshop and sharing from his own experience of global education, Mr. Pradeep Singh, I.A.S (Retd.) - CEO & Dy. Dean- Indian School of Business, Mohali-Campus said that things have evolved a lot as far as higher education abroad. Indian students studying abroad, now, walk with swagger; a sense of confidence and “We Can” attitude evinces from their personality. Today, the prime objective of education is to churn out global citizens. Global education provides an opportunity to become globally competitive. “Peace and harmony cannot survive if education fails to catch up with the globalised world. If there is tension and unrest in the world, then it is the failure of global education in addressing the problems of globalization. Global education is needed not only for thriving but for surviving.” opined Mr. Singh.
During the day, two technical sessions unfolded – “Higher Education in Europe: Opportunities and Prospects” by Mr. Matthias Themel Attaché – Economic Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to India and “Higher Education in Europe: Country Perspective” by Ms. Lynne Heslop, Sr. Education Advisor, British Council of India.
Erasmus Mundus alumni, who are currently well placed in various organizations, also shared their experiences with Amity students and helped them in getting all necessary information regarding the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Program.