- Many children, while growing up in India, would nurture an extremely passionate ambition to study overseas, especially in countries like the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and other advanced nations. There was a time, say a couple of decades back, when eight out of ten students looking to expand their educational horizons would quote unequivocally about their preferences for higher studies in foreign universities. Of course, irrespective of the financial feasibility and viability, Indian parents would leave no stone unturned if an opportunity arose for a wannabe student to enroll in a renowned overseas university. This is irrespective of the exorbitant cost involved to ensure a quality degree is pursued diligently.
PC: LinkedIn
- Yes, with time, Indians desperately looking to branch out for higher studies overseas has come down as compared to a few years back. But there are a good number of parents and students who still prefer to study overseas, hoping that the qualification would lead to better living conditions and career growth once armed with a foreign degree or two. Why do our higher educational institutes command similar respect and/or demand from overseas students? Why is there no rush from foreign students to get enrolled in our higher educational institutes? Does the Indian university ecosystem lack the necessary wherewithal to be counted among the best in the world? One area in which the US has a huge trade surplus is international students. Why not here?
PC: Tibco
- As reported, India alone sent over 3.3L students in in2023-24. How many make the opposite journey? Shockingly, only 2893, according to the most recent All India Survey on Higher Education of 2021-22. But per this data, only two other countries sent a higher number of students – Nepal and Afghanistan. Other top source countries were Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nigeria, UAE, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Sudan. The list underlines how India, with all its higher education limitations, is still an attractive destination for students from its neighbouring countries and Africa. Unfortunately, this potential has remained unfulfilled, and performance may also be worsening. What could be the reason for the decay, if one may mention it?
PC: ThePrint
Newspaper reports suggest that foreign students’ enrollment at JNU has sharply declined over the last five years, particularly from SAARC countries. Also, it now has students from 8 countries alone, against 14 earlier. Why aren’t Indian universities living up to their potential? Put aside geopolitical events like the fall of Hasina or the rise of the Taliban. We need to treat students impartially without the string of parochial considerations attached. The institutional racism that happened recently with Nepali students in Bhubaneswar’s university made international headlines. Trump’s policy of assaulting university autonomy should not be replicated here. India should encourage academic freedom. Indian higher education has great potential. This should be fully harnessed.
