Students eyeing Canada, South-East Asia for studies
Indian students have grown beyond the UK and the US and are open to lesser known destinations when it comes to studying abroad. Natasha Chopra, director of education consultant group, The Chopras, spoke to The Hindu about Canada, South-East Asia and some European countries emerging as popular education destinations.
The shift can also be seen in terms of course selection. Engineering and business studies used to be the common choice earlier, but now, students are getting inclined towards digital animation, journalism, history, art and media studies.
According to Chopra, Canada and New Zealand are popular destinations for digital media; Australia, Ireland and New Zealand for hospitality; the US for business and engineering studies and the UK for pursuing research.
The shift may be a result of various factors including less cumbersome migration procedure and cost aspects. For instance, in the recent past, the UK government made some major changes in issuance of Visa to students. The United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA), the visa issuing authority had banned issuing the Post Study Work (PSW) visa from April this year. As a result, the number of applications from Indian students for the academic year has declined drastically. (Read more)
Nonetheless, some students seem unperturbed by the rising cost of oversees education and still choose the reputed institutes such as those in the UK over cheaper study options available in other countries.
Chopra finds the brain drain situation to have improved as compared to earlier times, as India is now an attractive destination with rising employment opportunities. (Read complete story)
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