If a country's national average educational attainment is increased by a single year, aggregate productivity increases by 5 per cent revealed a recent multi-country study conducted by the European Commission (EC). At the helm of affaires, Maria Mathai Director, CEC Network is all out to prove the EC's findings by taking major strides in educating Indian students on the world class standards and cost effectiveness of Canadian education. She says this and much more in an exclusive interview with Tripti Chakravorty.

Canada is a world leader in education. What are the various initiatives that the Canadian government has launched to woo students especially from the emerging countries such as India, China and Brazil?

The Government of Canada has been very supportive of international education, and that is why Canadian Education Centre was set up in 1997 to address the needs of the Indian students. In recent times many changes have been made to encourage Indian students to choose Canada, most notably, the set up of the Canadian Experience Class and extension of work permits for international students by which Indian students can work up to 3 years in Canada after they finish their education.

As the Director of Canadian Education Network what observations have you made on the Indian student response to Canadian Education and how have you been able to integrate it with the Canadian educational promotional activities to bring about a win-win situation for both?

If I scan the last decade there has been a dramatic change in the Indian student's outlook and perception on Canadian education. From a situation where Canada was perceived as an expensive destination or a gateway to USA today we have successfully educated the students about the high quality of Canadian education, the fact that it is a world leader in many scientific research areas including telecom etc, and all this is accessible to them at a very economical price as Canadian education is highly subsidized by the federal & provincial governments.

With this change in the Indian student, CEC India has also changed to meet & exceed Indian student's expectations. We began by offering counseling services and organizing Education fairs to help students & educational institutions meet face to face. We still provide both these services, however our scope of activities has expanded to a much larger level to include lobbying with the Government of India for support to international education, facilitating linkages between Indian & Canadian institutions which allow students to experience Canada here and also facilitate various tests in India so that they need not travel to Canada.

What are the steps taken in promoting Canadian education at various levels?

• Learning in the Early Childhood Years
• Learning in the Elementary and Secondary School Years
• Learning in the Post-secondary Years
• Learning in the Adult Years

Which of these is popular where Indians have wanted explore based on the awareness?

Where Indians are concerned the majority interest is in Learning at the Post Secondary level. More than 90% of the enquiries we handle are for post secondary education and a small interest in Adult or Continuing education. A very recent trend has been for education at the Secondary school years but this is a very niche area of interest.

Does every Indian student get employed in Canada? If not how is Canadian Education viewed among the Indian recruiters and what are the job prospects for a returning Indian student? Do your services extend up to helping the student get a job in the Indian job market?

Majority of Indian students who are looking for employment do find suitable job opportunities in Canada. Significant percentages of students are now returning to India for various reasons. Some who are involved in booming industries like animation & aviation find India has very good opportunities, others come back and use their Canadian experience to expand their family business and still others are able to establish themselves as successful entrepreneurs.

Canadian Education is the buzzword among students craving for foreign education. Why is this so? How has Canadian Education been able to stay ahead of the pack (US and European Education Systems)?

No other country can offer such a wide bouquet of subject choices, at such low costs in one of the most beautiful environments to study and work in. Canadian education is among the best in the world and Canada has routinely been ranked by the UN as one of the best countries in the world.

Which are the popular courses students are opting for both at the undergraduate and graduate levels? What has brought about this popularity?

The most popular courses for Indian students are engineering, business, computer science & Information Technology & Animation. Apart from these subjects many students are drawn to Canadian excellence in environmental studies, agriculture, telecom, business etc.

Students have access to excellent infrastructure on campus, the best teaching faculty, welcoming society and suitable opportunities to work on campus & off campus while they are studying. They also have the opportunity to work in Canada after they finish their education which is a big incentive.

Canadian Educational System constantly undergoes monitoring of progress on learning based on which efforts to establish clear learning objective is taken up. Further to this, areas for societal action in improving it form the cornerstone. What is the significance of this when tailor-making educational programs to suite job markets?

A healthy education system in any country caters to the ideological - drive for knowledge as well as the more practical need of satisfying the industry demands. Canada has achieved the perfect balance of both with its combination of Universities & Community College structure. Canadian Universities conduct path breaking research in sciences, business and humanities and the Community College which were set up with industry support cater to the job markets. This gives an international student a distinct advantage of having access to the best of the both worlds.

What is importance on the upcoming CEC Network fair sometime mid September? What is the theme this time? Which are the participating colleges and universities?

The upcoming 12th Annual Canadian Education Fairs to be held in Kolkata, Chennai, New Delhi and Chandigarh from 21st September - 1st October are the biggest annual event which provides one-on-one interaction time to Indian students and parents. International education is a big decision for most Indian students and it is important that they get a chance to meet with University & College representatives in person as not all can afford to visit institutions in Canada.

LIST OF PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS FOR FAIRS - Fall 2008

- Centennial College
- Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
- Fairleigh Dickinson University - Vancouver
- George Brown College
- Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
- Huron University College
- Memorial University of Newfoundland
- Queen's University
- Sheridan Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
- Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
- Thompson Rivers University
- University of Alberta
- University of Manitoba
- Vancouver Film School
- Vernon School District

As you would agree technical education is being given the highest priority in the Indian Educational System. Is the case similar to Canadian education? What steps are being taken to do so?

Canadian education has historically placed great importance in technical and vocational education, which is offered at community and career colleges. We have some of the best Canadian colleges in Engineering, Animation & Media studies, Business, Hospitality & Tourism visiting India under the CEC Education Fairs. Conestoga College, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Vancouver Film School etc are all examples of top ranked colleges imparting technical/vocational programs.

What is the Canadian Educational System doing about promoting Aboriginal Education not just in Canada but also in India? Also, what is being done to promote colleges/universities and educational institutes in Provinces such as Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland & Labrador and among the Territories such as Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavit?

CEC is a unique organization which promotes all of Canadian provinces & territories not just the popular or well known. You will find that Universities and Colleges in all the above provinces are active clients of CEC and many institutions from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan & Newfoundland have participated in our Fairs. In fact Memorial University of Newfoundland (one of the biggest Universities in Atlantic Canada) will be here in the September CEC fairs. We are also very proud that we have been successful in finding the perfect fit for students based on their requirements and have helped Indian students choose colleges in Yukon, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland or Nova Scotia.