VISAKHAPATNAM: A small country like Ukraine attracting thousands of students from Andhra Pradesh has sparked a debate on overseas education and the factors leading to it.
Contrary to a staggering two to three lakh Indian students leaving for foreign shores every year, the inflow of foreign students into India does not seem to be encouraging, particularly Andhra Pradesh.
As per the All India Survey on Higher Education released in June 2021, 49,348 foreign nationals descended in India for education. Of them, only 2,094 students took admissions in various universities and colleges of Andhra Pradesh.
The number of foreign students enrolled in Karnataka was 10,231, while the international student admission numbers stood at 5,089 in Uttar Pradesh, 4,966 in Punjab and 4,461 in Tamil Nadu.
Of the 2,094 foreign students who chose Andhra Pradesh, 1,641 candidates have enrolled in undergraduate programmes. The remaining students are engaged in research and postgraduate programmes.
The official statistics announced by the Union ministry of external affairs in July 2021 has put the number of Indian students pursuing various courses across the globe at 11.33 lakh.
Lack of established premier institutions in Andhra Pradesh and the limited infrastructure at the existing institutions are said to be the reasons for the lukewarm response from the foreign students.
At the same time, factors like world-class institutions devoted to teaching and research, particularly in the countries having a well-developed public education system like USA, UK, Canada, and Australia, quality education at affordable prices, limited number of seats and cut-throat competition for courses like MBBS in India, specialised programmes, innovation culture and research ecosystem, etc. are making the Indian students knock on the doors of the foreign institutions.
Explaining the ongoing situation in Ukraine, former vice-chancellor, Dr BR Ambedkar University, Prof H Lajipathi Rai, said that as per the feedback provided by the students and parents, a candidate can complete the MBBS programme in about 25 lakh.
“But if the same candidate opts for the seat in management quota in India, he/she has to spend almost threefold. This points to the need of establishing more medical institutions at cost-effective fee structure. Even the overall education scenario and infrastructure needs to be upgraded to emerge as an attractive study-abroad destination. More investments need to be pumped into research and innovation at educational institutions,” said Prof Lajipathi Rai.
K Vasanth, an overseas education consultant, said inquiries for abroad education have increased over the years. “Some countries stopped admissions due to the pandemic in the last two years. But there has been a considerable interest among the aspirants to pursue overseas education, considering the perceived overall exposure they get there and the job opportunities available after the courses. Nearly 90% of the candidates prefer low-cost education destinations,” said Vasanth.
