Ministers sought advice from international students in the University Park

A group of current and former Danish and international students from the association ESN (Erasmus Student Network) had accepted the invitation to go for a walk in the sun with Minister of Higher Education and Science Christina Egelund (Moderates) and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Party leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen (Moderates) in the University Park on Friday afternoon.

“There has been a lot of talk about restricting access to Denmark for international students. I mean exactly the opposite. We need the labour force and international learning environments to benefit everyone,” Christina Egelund says.

While the election campaign is obvious at every lamppost and spring has finally arrived in Aarhus, the city can still proudly call itself this year's best university town for international students, following the nomination last summer.

Aarhus Named This Year's Best University City for International Students

And it’s precisely the success of the city and university in making themselves attractive to international students that has made the two ministers – and parliamentary candidates – curious.

“I’d like to hear how they (international students, ed.) have been received and how they experience studying in Denmark and in Aarhus. And maybe also what it takes for them to consider staying and working in Denmark when their studies are finished,” Lars Løkke Rasmussen says.

IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE WELL RECEIVED

One of the foreign students the two top politicians want to speak to is Abhishek Sairaj from Chennai, India. Until last summer, he studied Biotechnology at Aarhus University. Today he works in Brabrand and lives in Aarhus.

“What was crucial for me in coming to Aarhus was the structure of the educational process, the university’s facilities and the opportunity to study in collaboration with a private company,” Abhishek Sairaj says.

“But it’s also important that I’ve been so well received as a student from another country. The association ESN has done a great job of making me part of the community, among other things, during the meeting with the other volunteers at Studenterhuset. It was crucial for me that my fellow Danish students contacted me and were sincerely interested in getting to know me,” Abhishek Sairaj says.

When he came to Denmark, Kathrine Larsen was among those who welcomed him. She is studying Anthropology and is finishing her Master’s thesis this November.

“As Danes, we can be a bit difficult to get to know. Therefore, curiosity is important in meeting students from other places. I get a lot out of it. These are cool people who have left home to study in another country,” says Kathrine Larsen, who enjoys the friendships her work at ESN has brought her, among others, Abhishek Sairaj.

“The most important thing politicians can do is help spread the word about how important and how rewarding it is to meet students from other countries. By being open and curious, we as Danish students can help build bridges,” Kathrine Larsen says.

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Lisa Enevoldsen.