Prior to 2020, before our lives were turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic, over 750k Indians had preferred to go abroad for higher education in 2019. This number dropped to about 250k in 2020 owing to the pandemic but as per a report from consulting firm Redseer, it could reach well over 2 million by 2025. “Second only to China, India has an ever-growing number of young students who want to explore the possibilities of education and work abroad and I don’t see this demand going down any time soon. ” says Vineet Gupta of Jamboree Education Pvt. Ltd, which has helped over 200,000 Indian students to prepare for entrance tests abroad.

Factors contributing to the demand for foreign education

There are several aspects leading to demand for foreign education among youngsters in India. Working with several thousand students in a calendar year at Jamboree, we have identified a few key pointers that are contributing to this phenomenon, explains Vineet:

• The coronavirus was expected to affect things but in turn it has further accelerated the acceptance of hybrid mode i.e using a mix of physical classes plus video conferencing tools to access education

• Decreasing gender divide in the society allows for young women to explore the same opportunities that were earlier only available to men. This is significantly contributing to the demand.

• Parents today want their children to have the best education and the fact is that at a general level, foreign universities offer a superior quality of education compared to what is available in the country. Superior income levels and better access to education loans have become contributing factors.

• Awareness among youngsters about possibilities abroad is at an all time high. An education abroad helps in securing a job abroad and better career prospects, which to many youngsters is a more enticing proposition than being in the country.

• Capacity shortfall in the education sector is another major factor. “The limited seats and the sheer number of students applying for these seats particularly in technical education in India, makes it extremely difficult for aspiring students to pursue the line of study they want. Foreign education hence, becomes the alternate option or sometimes the only option for many students,” opines Vineet Gupta of Jamboree Education Pvt. Ltd

• The pandemic saw the emergence of discoverability startups like Collegify, Azent, Admitkard, Leap etc. that helped aggregate top schools, courses and opportunities in one platform further fueling the demand. Leap raised $75 million in June 2022, which took their total raise to $150 million

Concluding thoughts

As borders open and governments around the world find ways to contain the virus, aspiring students will be the first to pack their bags and go abroad to fulfill their aspirations. “While it is endearing to see thousands of students go and live their dreams abroad, the concerns relating to brain drain and lack of high quality education in India cannot be ignored.

There is a growing need for more world class institutions and for transforming India’s higher education sector to meet the demands of India’s young population. This will require an abolishment of bureaucratic hurdles that plague the system and a more effective collaboration between government and industry. Unless this happens, the higher education sector will not prosper”, concludes Vineet Gupta.

Source – Indian Business Times