Info Plus - Chat - Interview with Dr. C. B. Paul Chellakumar
The Hindu
April, 21, 2003, Every year hundreds of students turn their eyes beyond Indiasshores, looking for opportunities to better their educational qualifications. Today, with increased availability of scholarships, the dream of studying abroad is becoming a reality for a growing number of young people. But the students havebefore them the Herculean task of making the right choices in regard to course, country and university, with reference to aptitudes, finances and course, country and university, with reference to aptitudes, finances and socio-cultural setups, and then they must navigate the unfamiliar waters of travel regulations and admission procedures. Help and guidance are clearly invaluable, and one man decided to capitalize on this requirement. Campus Abroad, brainchild of Dr C B Paul Chellakumar, was born in 1978. Dr. Paul Chellakumar, Chairman and Managing Trustee, Campus Abroad, talks to Susan Philip about the institution, his vision and his goals for the future.
SP: What made you think of start such an organization
PC: While I was involved in some other ventures, I started guiding students on overseas education on a friendly basis. Subsequently, I was approached by a private university, and I took up full time counselling.
I started some 25 years ago, and Campus Abroad was the first such organization in the country. Initially, we were charging students a fee, but since the nineties, our services are being provided free to scholars aspiring for overseas admission.
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SP: What is the process that you adopt?
PC: We match the students abilities, needs and finances with the profiles of courses offered by various universities, to find maximum agreement. Very often, money is thought to be the only requisite for admission to top schools. This is not true. The students aptitude has to be carefully studied, and he or she has to be guided to make the choice where they will fit in best. We provide exhaustive information on courses, fees, duration, boarding, and lodging and the culture of the host
country. We have trained counsellors, and the universities themselves give orientation courses to our staff.
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SP: What are the major countries you represent?
PC: At one stage, it was only USA that was considered a fit education destination. Even today, it is seen as the land of opportunities, but now, academic opportunities have spread across the globe. In the 80s, Australia came into the market and Campus Abroad was the only one representing that country. They later started appointing more and more agents, and we have since reduced our connections with Australia. In 1995, UK started looking at the market, and we are closely associated with UK agencies and universities.
We are associated with the British Council here. Now, New Zealand is vying for Indian students, and the numbers going there are good. Ireland has recently entered the market, and the flow is picking up
SP: What are the most sought after courses?
PC: Engineering, IT, Bio-Technology and Management are the most popular choices.
SP: Having come this far, how do you see the future?
PC: Im working on an all-India association for agents, with a view to streamlining the people in the industry, and help the public as well.
We intend to restrict membership by specifying a minimum number of years of functioning, we well as, perhaps, making it mandatory for the agent to have himself been a student abroad.
We are looking at a membership of only around a hundred. Studying abroad is no bed of roses, and there are many agents now who gull the innocent public by making false claims and promises.
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Seriously speaking Dr. Paul Chellakumar is absolutely excellent in his service. I personally believe no one can give better ideas than him in U.K. education. 
