BENGALURU: The Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) was jubilant in August when it hosted students from 19 global management schools for a course. The celebration was an isolated one. Reason: the number of foreign students coming to India in 2014 dipped drastically compared to 2013. Data from the Union ministry of home affairs shows the number of students from seven of the top eight countries ­­ the US, Germany, France, South Korea, Australia, China and Singapore ­­ fell 73%, from 13,961 in 2013 to 3,737 in 2014.There was a marginal in crease in 2013 from 2012, when the number of foreign students was 12,424. Experts say no one reason can be given for the sudden dip; but we must improve the quality of our institutions to attract more foreigners. Students from 160 coun tries came to India in these three years. The decline is seen not just in the number of students from countries ranked better than India but in even those from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and African nations.The IISc, the only Indian institute to be ranked within the top 100 global institutions, had just 25 full-time foreign students in 2014. In June, Usha Vijayaraghavan, IISc international cell chairperson, made a presentation on what the institute has been doing to improve its standing and the challenges ahead.She said: "While we're doing collaborative work with best universities abroad, the challenge is to attract more foreign students and faculty to do research here. We have a long way to go.“ IIIT-B founder director S Sadagopan says: “The gov ernment has not understood the soft power of higher education. It obviously cannot be measured or quantified in dollars. But we will have ambassadors for life. Take Manmohan Singh, for example.He passed out of Cambridge 55 years ago, but still has a soft corner for it. I studied in the US for four years about 40 years ago. I may not like ev erything the US does, but I have a soft corner for it."He adds: "One reason for the decline could be the bad publicity India is getting."The bad publicity didn't seem to have an effect on those like Jose Antonio Borrero, a student at IIM-B in August. “Beyond the course that has been of great help, I love India. I've already interned in Mumbai and now I've asked my parents to join me after my course,“ he had said.The Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) was jubilant in August when it hosted students from 19 global management schools for a course.The celebration was an isolated one. Reason: the number of foreign students coming to India in 2014 dipped drastically compared to 2013. Data from the Union min istry of home affairs shows the number of students from seven of the top eight countries ­­ the US, Germany, France, South Korea, Australia, China and Singapore ­­ fell 73%, from 13,961 in 2013 to 3,737 in 2014. There was a marginal in crease in 2013 from 2012, when the number of foreign students was 12,424. Experts say no one reason can be given for the sudden dip; but we must improve the quality of our institutions to attract more foreigners. Students from 160 coun tries came to India in these three years. The decline is seen not just in the number of students from countries ranked better than India but in even those from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and African nations.The IISc, the only Indian institute to be ranked within the top 100 global institutions, had just 25 full-time foreign students in 2014. In June, Usha Vijayaraghavan, IISc international cell chairperson, made a presentation on what the institute has been doing to improve its standing and the challenges ahead.She said: "While we're doing collaborative work with best universities abroad, the challenge is to attract more foreign students and faculty to do research here. We have a long way to go.“ IIIT-B founder director S Sadagopan says: “The gov ernment has not understood the soft power of higher education. It obviously cannot be measured or quantified in dollars. But we will have ambassadors for life. Take Manmohan Singh, for example.He passed out of Cambridge 55 years ago, but still has a soft corner for it. I studied in the US for four years about 40 years ago. I may not like ev erything the US does, but I have a soft corner for it."He adds: "One reason for the decline could be the bad publicity India is getting."The bad publicity didn't seem to have an effect on those like Jose Antonio Borrero, a student at IIM-B in August. “Beyond the course that has been of great help, I love India. I've already interned in Mumbai and now I've asked my parents to join me after my course,“ he had said.