India & France - Talents for the Future
This year’s French Scholarship Award Ceremony and Pre-Departure Session took place today, 30th June 2014, at the Embassy of France, in the presence of H.E. Mr Laurent Fabius, Hon’ble Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France, who is on an official visit to India 30th June - 1st July.
To download the copyright free images of the ceremony, visit Flickr page of the French Embassy.
This event gathered 250 students from the Delhi-NCR region leaving for higher education in France for the academic year 2013-2014.
H.E. Mr Laurent Fabius delivered an address to the students, which was followed by a signing ceremony of a series of 11 agreements between prestigious French and Indian higher education institutions (see below).
India & France - Talents for the Future, Speech of Minister Fabius, Part 1
India & France - Talents for the Future, Speech of Minister Fabius, Part 2
The French higher education system, long recognised for its quality, is the third most popular destination in the world among international students after the US and the UK. With its famous “Grandes Ecoles” and reputed universities, its renowned management and business schools, France is at the educational heart of Europe. In December 2013, the QS team voted Paris the “best international student city” for the second year in a row.
Last year, nearly 3000 Indian students opted for higher education in France, a jump of 50% over the past five years. The vast majority of these students attend the over 800 courses taught in English in France, the number of which is increasing every year.
As expressed during French President François Hollande’s State visit to India (14-15 February 2013), French and Indian authorities want to bolster this dimension of their relationship. President Hollande fixed the ambitious objective of raising the number of Indian students in France by 50% in the coming five years.
This year, the Embassy has offered more than 300 scholarships under its flagship “Charpak” programme for Master’s degrees, exchange semesters and research internships. French companies, such as Roquette, MBDA and Thalès, also offer scholarships to Indian students, including tuition fee waiver and a monthly stipend.
This has also resulted in measures to facilitate the issuance of visas for Indian students and Indian alumni, as well as an increased number of scholarships offered by the Embassy of France and its corporate partners.