We at AIT have always tried hard to provide scholarships as incentive for good work. Though AIT itself has limited capacity to provide scholarship in big numbers we are going to continue with incentive schemes to top students who do well and study hard.

President of Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) , Bangkok, Prof Dr Said Irandoust was recently in town to sign several Memorandum of Agreements (MoA) with Nepal Education Foundation-Consortium of Colleges, Nepal, (NEF-CCN), Xavier Academy and White House College.

The collaboration of AIT and NEF is opening doors to Nepali students with new academic programmes.

Dr Irandoust, who did his PhD in Chemical Reaction Engineering from Sweden and has been associated with AIT for the last six years, shed some light on AIT's endeavours in Nepal and also some tips for students to make smart education choices in an interview with Kokila KC Purpose of visit The main purpose is to forge collaboration between AIT and NEF-CCN to offer two-stage Master's programme in Business Administration, Energy Business Management, Energy and Environment apart from two stage Bachelor's programme in Information and Communication Technology and Civil and Infrastructure Engineering. The first year of the two-year Master's programme and first two years of undergraduate programme will be offered in Nepal and second year of Master's and last two years of undergraduate programme would be offered in AIT -due to start in January or August 2012.

Why this collaboration?
I would not say that this collaboration is commercial because none of us are doing this for the sake of earning money. AIT is having a public mission, we work with private institutions as long as they share public mission. We never agree in any educational concept which puts quality and interest of students aside and puts earning money as the objective.

Admissions criteria
We have no limitation in terms of numbers of students, but we have a set admission criteria. We make sure that the students we take in do possess enough knowledge and background so that they can successfully graduate from these programmes.

Scholarship schemes
We at AIT have always tried hard to provide scholarships as incentive for good work. Though AIT itself has limited capacity to provide scholarship in big numbers we are going to continue with incentive schemes to top students who do well and study hard.

Subjects that `sell'in the job market
Job market is quite dynamic.The need for different sectors varies and shifts from time to time and this depends on number of factors. The subject a student pursues or knowledge a student gains are not the only important thing, the kind of attitude one develops during their programme is also vital.

Your personality, networking, ability to work with others, utilising the network, understanding complex phenomena, and ability to draw conclusions are all important factors. You cannot simply be the best in your subject; you should also make sure that you graduate from a university.

How to choose the right subject?
First of all, you should be interested in what you are studying.You should not just study what market needs because it will give you job. You spend hours and hours with your job, unless you enjoy, you may not be creative. I would like to tell youngsters to make sure that they select area about which they want to learn more. When you identify the subject, see the future trends of opportunities in that area. But again, your attraction in the job market depends on you as an individual.

Everyone wants to hire a person who is creative, flexible enough to learn more and develop things. If you have good personality, you will get the job.

Tips to stop brain drain
There are a number of factors causing brain drain. A country itself can create a number of incentives for students to return home after they graduate. You can mobilise Nepali diaspora more actively to contribute to the country -no matter where they are. Sometimes they can help the country more than those residing within the national borders. In two-stage programmes you are away for only one year of Masters, and only for two years in the under grad programme. I hope they will reduce some problem mentioned here.

Future plans for Nepali students
We are working on a serious plan to consider a full fledge AIT satellite Campus in Nepal. We are currently exploring possibilities in three countries -Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Nepal. If we are able to do so we will have an AIT campus for around 6,000 students studying in various areas and subjects in Nepal.

Message for Nepali students
Nepalis students are hardworking and ambitious. Investment in higher education is the best investment for their own future, for their family and entire country.

You should spend lots of time to make sure that your personality is further developed. Nepalis students have proved so many times that they can do a great job.

 

source: The Himalayan Times (2011),"AIT's new opportunities for Nepali students ", The Himalayan Times, 22 June 2011