RIYADH, 8 April 2004 — Despite bad news in many quarters, there is a “feel good factor” among many non-resident Indians (NRIs) in the Gulf these days. The feeling comes from higher technical education.
For millions of expatriate Indians in the Gulf, it is reassuring to know that the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), a regulator of technical education in India, has ruled that one-third of the 15 percent supernumerary seats in different disciplines in an educational institution offering technical courses must be reserved for children of Indian workers in the Gulf.
With just a few months left for the new academic year (2004-2005) in India, implementation remains a challenge. Interested students should be in touch with Indian missions in Gulf countries if they want to avail themselves of the ruling.
“Children’s education has been a major concern and this is a very positive step,” said a relieved parent in Riyadh. The ruling is of special significance to Indians in Saudi Arabia since the Kingdom and the US have the world’s largest NRI populations, 1.6 million and 1.5 million respectively.
Parents are delighted with the ruling since it removes the old NRI fee; now the children of Gulf NRIs will be treated the same as Indians in India when it comes to fees. The children of Indian workers in the Gulf who choose admission under the supernumerary quota will now pay the same fee as any Indian citizen.
The welcome development comes in the wake of the Indian Supreme Court’s decision to establish a uniform fee structure. The fee structure for other disciplines may also be streamlined in line with the court’s judgment.
Another major benefit is the easing of domicile requirement for admission into various professional colleges. Previously a residence of three to five years was mandatory in many states in order to fulfill domicile requirements. Gulf NRIs believe that this has now been eliminated.
India’s Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee announced changes for Indians in the Gulf in New Delhi in January. Some of the changes included a compulsory insurance scheme for Indian workers, introduced on Dec. 25 last year and reservation quotas of one-third of 15 percent supernumerary seats in all educational institutions.
