As the number of students going abroad for higher studies is increasing with every passing year, the government has taken some effective steps to check the brain drain’ scenario in the future.
As per the data shared by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, in the Rajya Sabha, nearly 30 lakh students have gone for higher studies abroad during the last five years.
“The Ministry of Education does not maintain data related to Indian students going abroad for higher studies. As per information provided by the Bureau of Immigration (BoI), the number of Indians who disclosed their purpose of visit as study or education while going abroad in the last five years is 29,33,899,” the minister informed the House in a written reply.
Giving the break-up, the minister said that in the year 2019, 5,86,337 students visited abroad for study. The number decreased to 2,59,655 in the year 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. In the year 2021, this number reached 4,44,553. Then, 7,50,365 students disclosed their purpose of visiting abroad for study in the year 2022. In the year 2023, 8,92,989 students visited abroad for higher studies.
Maximum number of students prefer US for higher studies
Although Indian students visit almost all parts of the world for education, the maximum number of them prefer the United States of America (USA) for education. The USA tops the list of places where Indian students have gone for education, followed by Canada.
In the year 2019, 1,22,535 students visited the US for education. This number came down to 62415 in the year 2020. But the number again jumped to 1,25,115 in the year 2021 and 1,90,512 in the year 2022. In the year 2023, 2,34,473 students visited the USA for education.
As for Canada, 1,32,620 students visited the country for education. This number came down to 43,624 in the year 2020. In the year 2021, the number reached 1,02,688. The number was 1,85,955 in the year 2022 and 2,33,532 in the year 2023.
After the US and Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia are the other two countries where a maximum number of Indian students have gone for education. Over 4.2 lakh students have gone to the United Kingdom for education during the last five years. Over 2.53 lakh Indian students opted for Australia for higher education.
Under NEP 2020, Government promises to ensure high-quality education
While admitting that higher studies abroad are a matter of individual will and choice, the Minister said that under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Government of India has undertaken comprehensive action to ensure high-quality education at every level in India.
“One of the key aspects of NEP 2020 is “Internationalisation of Education” which aims to establish India as a global destination for education and to promote and share the best academic and research practices through interactions among diverse education systems.
“The government recognizes the reality of a global workplace, especially in an era of knowledge economy. A successful, prosperous, and influential diaspora is viewed as an asset for India. The government’s efforts are also aimed at harnessing the potential of the diaspora, including the sharing of knowledge and expertise,” the minister further said.
Further, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has also taken several initiatives to enhance the quality of education, including financial support to higher education institutes (HEIs).
Some of the important initiatives include guidelines for internship/apprenticeship embedded degree programs, establishment of research and development cells in HEIs promoted the concept of professor of practice, accessibility guidelines, etc.
The minister further said that in alignment with the vision of NEP 2020 and to make available the campuses of eminent Global Higher Institutes in India, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued “UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations 2023.”
“The UGC has also issued “UGC (Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Higher Educational Institutions to offer Twinning, Joint Degree and Dual Degree Programmes) Regulations, 2021,” which allows students to do parts of their programs from both Indian and foreign universities, leading to academic and research excellence, as well as mobility of students and faculty,” he said.
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