[Answered] The trend of Indian students going abroad for higher education continues to rise at a rapid pace. What are the factors that are aggravating this trend and suggest some measures to stop it.

The number of Indian students choosing to study abroad has steadily increased over the years. Though there was a sudden drop in the numbers during the pandemic and lockdowns, a good number of students are again gearing up to move abroad. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, 2,61,406 students from India went abroad in 2020.

Factors:

• Job Concentration: Good jobs are concentrated to top colleges like IITs and IIMs, and elite private universities. Companies go to these branded colleges, universities to recruit students.
• Balance between theory and practicality: The universities and colleges abroad actively engage their students with a balance between theory and practicality. They offer both on campus and off campus experiences to equip their students with skills to help them engage the study matter.
• Culture of innovation and technology: This encourages students to develop and experiment with different ideas to sharpen their skill sets. Universities also give students scholarship opportunities and financial aid assistance to help them make the most of their courses.
• Job opportunities: Apart from the qualifications, graduates receive higher salaries and get more job opportunities.
• International qualifications are valued much more than domestic degrees in India. Companies prefer applicants with advanced and international degrees as they have a higher skill sets.

Measures:

• Increase the supply of public and private institutions. Promote and incentivize private entities to set up educational institutions.
• Rationalize the country’s current caste-based reservation system.Introduce a ‘creamy layer’ criterion for Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe candidates. It could also enforce the seat reservation-limit that was mandated by a Supreme Court ruling.
• There is a need to standardize thecurriculum across universities. For example, facilitate inter-disciplinarily learning and promote research-oriented education.
• Elite central institutions, the IITs, the IISERs, etc. should look at the problems of the day. They should support local institutions and entrepreneurs in the deployment of these solutions.
• Start scholarships and on-campus jobs such as those for research and teaching assistants, etc. and facilitate loans for education.

The plight of Indian students is not merely an issue of a large gap between demand and supply. A good-quality education can lead to the creation of better human resources and will be an asset for the country over the long term.