Several places in southern India offer students a new world of opportunities and a “better atmosphere and ecosystem” that enhances chances of success, former MP and retired IAS officer Jawhar Sircar said at the inauguration of a two-day education fair on Saturday.

Representatives of several top colleges and universities from down south are part of the maiden edition of Anandabazar Patrika & The Telegraph present Destination South, Education Expo 2025.

The first day of the fair at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra beside Netaji Indoor Stadium had students from the city and outside, accompanied by their guardians, engage in discussions with institute heads, exploring opportunities to study in the southern states.

“Those who move to certain areas of the south automatically move into a new world of opportunities.... If you leave your home for a better atmosphere, for a better ecosystem of opportunities, then the chances of you succeeding are more than if you had stayed back,” said Sircar.

“We must be able to offer, inform and present before our students and their parents the options,” he said.

Sircar on Saturday released Campus Connect, a booklet containing details of various colleges and universities from south India, the latest trend in education and futuristic courses that many colleges offer.

Heads of several institutes present at the fair said that every year they get a significant number of students from Bengal, especially Calcutta, who enrol for courses in their colleges.

“Around 30 to 40 per cent of our students in courses like BTech and BBA in ICFAI Hyderabad are from Bengal and the Northeast,” said Tanay Sinha, admission and marketing, eastern zone, ICFAI.

“If they study in south India, students feel it will be an automatic transition to the IT sector in cities like Hyderabad and Bangalore,” said Sinha.

An official of the admission office at SRM University AP, Andhra Pradesh, said the awareness of students of the world around them sets Bengal students apart from those belonging to other states.

“Students from Bengal have diverse experiences that they bring to the table. Even if a student is preparing for an engineering programme, they are aware of what is happening in the world around them and are updated about current affairs,” said Pramod Pandey, assistant director, admissions, SRM University-AP.

The area where they lack and need to work on is communication, said Pandey.

“Communication is important, both verbal and written. They lack in both. Also, students fail to sell themselves when they are going in for an interview,” he said.

At East Point Group of Institutions, the beeline was mostly for courses in pharmacy and nursing, the authorities said.

“There is a huge demand in healthcare in the south, and students get placed in our healthcare infrastructure in south India. Many of them also travel to the Gulf countries,” said Vijay Ranjan, director, admissions and promotions, East Point Group of Institutions.

Many of the universities said they have integrated artificial intelligence (AI) into their courses.

Two Class XI students, Twishaa Chakraborty and Debdutta Sen, spent about an hour finding out about various courses.

“When we are promoted to Class XII we have to take a decision. We need to start early,” said Debdutta.

The fair starts from noon and continues till 8pm.