Why the trend of Indian Students Choosing Foreign Universities Despite Safety Fears will likely be Unstoppable? Read on to find out...
Safety of Indian Students abroad is taking a low road - how will it impact dreams of studying abroad?
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Several Indian students were injured during the evacuation from Ukraine. There was no single authority from the Indian embassy on the ground at extreme locations or near the borders to aid Indian students. Arrangements were made from India's end, but it was up to the students to coordinate and execute the instructions on their own, without any kind of support from officials of the Indian Embassy. The students said that they were simply not available!
Issues like these surface up from time to time. The US is a major international destination for Indian students, especially with the pathway program. It is often in the limelight for news of murdered students and techies of Indian origin.
Have these reports scared you so much that you are reconsidering your dreams of studying abroad? Do these reports make you worry about your safety as an international student, probably all by yourself?
The global scenario is changing a great deal. Indian institutes are no longer way behind in global rankings. Top-notch facilities are available in Indian universities as well. Foreign faculties frequently visit India. One can access their lectures live or online from the comfort of one's home or hometown. Or at least without leaving India. So, is spending lakhs, going through all the visa hustles, and studying abroad even relevant when one is supposed to risk one's life?
Hello and welcome back to another blog dear Chaibuddies. Today we will discuss this issue of safety as Indian students while pursuing our dream of studying abroad – and we will also discuss if you should be worried about it and reconsider your decision. So, stay tuned.
In 2023, a little over 20 lakh candidates appeared in the NEET exam, which, I suppose you know is an entrance held in India for admission into medical colleges. Out of it, only a little over 11 lakh candidates cleared the exam. So, what happens to the whooping 9 lakh candidates?
Now, the NEET test has a total of 720 marks. Despite scoring as high as 600 points or even 500, general quota students wouldn't be admitted to government colleges, while reserved candidates with way lower scores than them would sail through smoothly. This reservation is a plague in Indian society that even the current government couldn't remove despite its bold steps in numerous fields. Even if we go overboard and optimistically say that this is the reality of just 10% of students among the 11 lakhs qualified, we still have 1 lakh 10 thousand students without admission into a good government medical college despite a good score!
What would be left for them are the private colleges. And enter the horror of capitation fees. We all know that privatisation comes at a cost. The glamour of private hospitals comes at a price and medical students there are riddled with steep college fees. But alongside this, they will be required to pay a huge amount as capitation fees which is in lakhs and sometimes even near a crore!
Imagine the tricky situation an Indian middle or lower-income household would find itself in if they happen to be in general quota. The child wants to become a doctor, yet despite good grades, will be denied such education as it becomes unaffordable!
So, what would happen to such students? Will they waste another year to prepare for NEET? Well, they could, but here's the fun part. Each year the cut-off for general students seems to increase and so does the number of students appearing for NEET exams. And to add to the agony, here's another fact. India doesn't have any shortage of medical professionals. Like other professions in India, this too is quite crowded if not over-crowded. Even in specialized fields. So, there is no surety that even after graduating, one would be appointed in a good place to start their practice. Getting an internship too becomes challenging at times. Reservation does play a role in the hiring of doctors as well.
This means, your luck needs serious backing in this case. But will you have it the second time? Who knows?
What India does lack is - good quality doctors. Unfortunately, this loosely implies that you may not end up finding a good medical teacher in Indian institutes who would guide & mentor you to become a good doctor instead of being just someone who has cleared MBBS. Perhaps this explains why there is such a huge increase in medical errors and fees by the day, in India.
But, what about abroad? Look at various websites and they will tell you that Europe or US or Canada faces acute skill shortages among doctors and nurses. So, if you study there, apart from the perks in those countries, there are high chances for you to get a job as a doctor! This is the very reason why each year, lakhs of Indian students move out to pursue MBBS. Some even opt for off-beat locales like Central Asian countries. Many choose Russia due to its low costs. But, what's certain - they move out.
This holds for other professions as well.
Can you blame them? No. The opportunities within India did not grow at par with the rate of increase in population.
But what about security and safety? What if I am attacked and shot? What if violence breaks out? What if...?
These are legit causes of concern indeed especially with such reports doing rounds almost every day.
But, what if you remain in India? Taunted by relatives and neighbours almost every day!
What if you remain in India - only to deal with another year gone by? What if you remain in India only to realise that you could have given yourself better opportunities and most essentially the much-needed peace of mind?
While it is true that racist incidents are quite common in the US and elsewhere. I faced discrimination at times in shops in France because people assumed I was from Pakistan, in Moscow because I didn't speak the local language, and in some other countries for some reasons. Safety becomes a concern when you board a bus and find a couple of drunk passengers. When you have to do all the work from paperwork to housework all by yourself and at times have no friends around or someone to talk to, it's common to ask - was all this even worth it?
I used to ask this almost every night in the beginning. But, the more time I spent abroad, I realised that I was happier. You may not always be surrounded by friends. But, you do get to explore life all by yourself. You do begin to find your unique way of self-expression. Something that one would never dare to do in India fearing their padosis!
You start realising little things about yourself that you would miss out on in India. While dealing with everything by yourself, you end up coming face to face with your authentic self. You know your strengths and weaknesses unfiltered! And beyond all the chaos, you start to arrange your life. Cleanse your life. Even heal yourself from the trauma caused by various aspects of the Indian society.
Competition exists in every sphere. And trust me chai-buddies, while abroad, you will face it a lot. And no - do not assume that anyone is going to hand-hold you out of the situation. You are responsible for yourself. But at least, your life would not be constantly under the grinder of comparison. Comparison with some Sharma ji ka ladka or Mishra ji ki beti. Even if you lost, you can pick yourself up and say to yourself, it's okay. Not this one, but something else along the way. Let's move on.
Living abroad gives you the freedom of choice. Imagine accepting a part-time job at a cafeteria in India. One, your coursework might not usually leave you the time to do such a thing. It's either work or study. Second. Depending upon your circle, you would be ridiculed, criticised - bullied in the worst possible way. Almost Every day.
This won't happen abroad. Nor will you be forced to prepare and attempt exams to become something everyone else wants to talk about ignoring if at all you wanna do it or not! And if you fail, be prepared to hear the taunt of being a failure for the remainder of your life.
But, still what about safety? What if a fire breaks out in my hostel? What if I become a target of gangs? What if...?
Now coming to that. Google it and you will find news every year of fire breaking out in hostels even within India. Gang crimes aren't uncommon in India. Every 20 minutes, no one knows what would happen to a woman in India. And if you are a woman, do not worry. You can get shot here in India as well. Either by your online stalker, your ex, your rival, or a random someone who enjoys this act.
Road accidents aren't uncommon here and each year several people lose their lives to it. Someone forgot a helmet. Some roads were not paved. Some Richie rich was driving at buzzing speed while drunk. Some overworked truck drivers couldn't control the turn.
If crime has to happen it will happen to you no matter where on earth you are. And honestly, in India, it would be much worse. You may not even get justice for it. No one will register your complaint if they do not feel like it or if power commands.
With scams and cyberbullying on the rise, living in India under the care and supervision of your parents may not guarantee safety. And even though we hear a lot of harsh realities of living abroad, every Indian student who has lived abroad for a considerable amount of time will say - no ghar wapsi.
Reason - the advantages of living abroad far outweigh the disadvantages.
There are issues indeed. But at least one has the channels to speak about them. One has the means to reach out to concerned authorities to seek justice. One's voice isn't shut down by those in power.
So, do not be afraid.
I am not against India - it's my love, my motherland. Neither is this post meant to coerce you into believing a fancy picture of safe cushion abroad. One has to be vigilant there as well. But, as someone who always strives to help students in their journey especially, studying abroad, I couldn't help but address this concern. Some news may make it feel as if India has turned to its glorious days of Nalanda and Takshashila. But turn to the data, your own experiences, and ask yourself. Do you indeed feel very safe in India? Specifically, if you are a woman, not living in certain parts of Mumbai, are you indeed safe? At least in your perception?
Issues can happen everywhere. Anytime. With anyone. So, the best thing one can do is - at times take calculated risks. The returns might be exponentially huge and of course positive. At the end of the day, having a job that pays the bills and a work environment that treats you fair is way better than unnecessarily struggling yet remaining unemployed.
But, still, what if we face such issues? Safety concerns? What to do?
Stay tuned. In my upcoming blog, we will cover some tips on how to deal with life if you find yourself in safety distress. Until then, Take care, Stay Happy, Stay Safe!
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