ELS Education Services (ELS) has partnered with SRM University (SRM) in Chennai to launch its first ever language centre in India, which becomes its seventh international pathway programme worldwide, the rest of which are based in Australia, USA, Canada, France, Malaysia and China. The move marks an appetite for expansion in India, a rapidly developing economy with its own burgeoning education sector.
The new centre is based at SRM’s Kattankulathur campus in Chennai and international students enrolled at ELS Chennai will have access to SRM’s library, computer labs and recreation facilities and can also reside in the SRM Green Pearl International Hostel.
Director of ELS India Mallik Sundharam told The PIE News: “ELS Chennai will be our first on-campus language programme in Asia, and our first programme in a developing country.”
“ELS Chennai will be our first on-campus language programme in Asia, and our first programme in a developing country”
“We have been operating out of leading English destinations for more than 50 years successfully and we strongly believe this is just the beginning of a new era of need for innovative models and products in these developing countries,” he said.
Sundharam divulged that the company is also looking to increase its overall foothold in India: “ELS has concrete plans towards establishing at least four language centres at renowned university campuses throughout India by 2018.”
Explaining the reasons for partnering with SRM, Sundharam said that the university was ranked number one in India (factual ranking) by India Today 2013 and specialises in engineering, management, medicine and humanities.
“SRM has a clear road map to increase its current international student population from 1,400 to 5,000 students by 2018,” said Sundharam.
“They have already developed excellent infrastructure to accommodate international student needs from different parts of the world and culture including prayer halls for all major religions.”
The school’s first intake in August is on target for around 70 students, with a second cohort being welcomed in December 2014. It has also set targets of over 1000 students for its first year in operation, with plans to build on this in coming years.
