Essays

Now days, the trends for studying abroad have shown an upward surge. The rising population levels of the students and researchers in India have triggered this phenomenon. There is no serious debate about the difference in the educational norms in the West and those in India; the Western societies are much ahead of us in terms of quality education. The inquisitive students of India certainly do well after studying in the educational institutions abroad.

The pragmatic and scientific approach of the educational institutions of the West gives the students an edge over thosewho get education in India. Further, research students alsoI find that their efforts are very much productive (and respected)in the foreign countries and not in India. This unique featureof education in the alien lands has made our students queueup for admissions into the foreign universities.

However, the grass may not always be greener in thedistant lands. There are some pitfalls and problems associatedwith the education in foreign countries. Let us analyze the pros and cons of education abroad. We would like to make aI    rational assessment of the whole scenario in the context of thecurrent social, economic and political scenarios prevalent inIndia and the in the countries where the students like to gofor studies.

The advanced nations like the USA, the UK, Canada,Australia and New Zealand are offering professional and non-professional courses in various streams of education. Some of the streams include major engineering disciplines, puresciences, architecture, medicine, surgery, arts, English language, computer science and engineering, nursing,management, nuclear engineering, publishing, printingtechnology, plastics technology, fashion design, textileengineering, space research and food sciences. The coursesI   are offered for undergraduate, graduate and post-graduatedegrees. The academic sessions begin in the January (WinterSession), September (Autumn Session) and March (SpringSession), though some universities also offer four sessions for session for admission.

The students are required to appear in the tests that arespecially conducted by the educational testing institutionsabroad (like those conducted by the Educational TestingService at Princeton, New Jersey). If the candidates clear thetests with good scores, they are eligible for admission to those universities that accept the results of such institutes. The students then apply for admission and send their marks sheets(of the entrance tests), records of academic qualifications, anote on their abilities and limitations in the context of thecourse applied for, their financial status, support of a relative abroad and some useful academic references.

Their academic records are scrutinized thoroughly by the universities and colleges and the students are admitted if they fulfill the pre-specified criteria. The students are then informedabout the admissions and they are supposed to get thestudents' visas (normally, HI visa for admission to theuniversities in the USA). When the visas are issued, they arerequired to make preparations for enough of resources fortheir studies, boarding and lodging in the foreign country. The students join the university from the session that hasalready been decided. They are also required to pay the feesand for boarding and lodging in advance for the first academicyear (which is normally of two semesters).

When a student gets admitted to a foreign university orcollege, he becomes thrilled and exhilarated. A bright futurebeckons him in a distant land and he gears up for the testingtimes that lie ahead. Some students are offeredscholarshipsand study grants. The universities offer the scholarshipsdepending upon the funds available for the same. Theadmissions committee decides the number of scholarships andthe candidates who would get them after careful scrutiny.The past academic performances of the candidates as well asthe marks obtained in the admission tests are the major criteria.The students of undergraduate courses are not offered anyscholarships but exceptions are also there to this general rule.

The students of graduate and post-graduate courses areeligible for scholarships if they fulfill the criteria mentioned earlier. Some students of graduate and post-graduate courses are also eligible for teaching assignments in the departmentin which, they study. For that purpose, they have to provetheir teaching abilities and are required to possess theknowledge about the subject to be taught.

The total course fees for an undergraduate degree are in the range of US$ 4,000-7,000 per academic session comprising two semesters of six months each. The course fees for the graduate and post-graduate courses vary from US$ 7,000 toUS$ 12,000 per academic session, depending upon the natureof the course. Visa expenses, travelling expenses, boardingand lodging expenses and the sundry expenses during thestay abroad are in addition to the course fees.

As a rule of thumb, the student would be required to payUS$ 150-300 per month for the food, accommodation and otherliving expenses in a foreign university. Entertainment expensesare not included in this estimate. The total cost of study abroadon per annum basis would vary from US$ 11/000 to US$ 17,000per annum.

The student has to slog for hours in order to get the degreeor diploma he is pursuing for. This puts a great burden on hiseyes, brain and physique. The student would also be requiredto participate in physical activities, games and other eventsthat are vital for his personality development (like extemporecontests, debates, quiz contests, musiccompetitions, paintingexhibitions, competitions and political debates).

He would not remain a bookworm throughout his life. Iflie becomes a doctor after getting a degree from a professionalmedical college of repute, his lifestyle and working hourswould be different from those of other professionals. His wouldIn- able to enjoy his life in the foreign country, though he wouldhave little time for leisure. Similarly, an engineer would beexposed to the latest technologies in his discipline. When he ishack to India after a short educational stint abroad, he is likelyto get a job as a senior engineer in the very beginning of his career.

Normally, the undergraduate courses are for four or fiveyears, graduate courses are for two years (additional Sixmonths are required for the submission of thesis) and the postgraduate courses have a duration ranging from three years tolive years (that includes the time period for the preparation and submission of thesis). Research students can go back to their home countries after they have attended the academicsessions and have also conducted the research activitiesrequired for completion of their theses. There are admissions to the Doctorate of Science (D Sc) courses as well but the entrants are very senior professionals, engineers and scientists.

They are required to put in at least twenty years of their useful lives in a particular field, normally related (to engineering, sciences and medicine. The objective ofconducing these rare courses are to develop the knowledge base in that particular discipline so that the human race could solve those riddles that remain mystery for it. There is no dearthof funding from the universities in the case of the students of D Sc courses.

After learning about the modus operandi, we would like todiscuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of foreigneducation. The advantages are as follows: —

(A) The education is of better quality. The teachers areprofessionals and researchers and give the latest informationand knowledge base to the students.

(B) Teaching is scientific and is based on interactive modeof learning. In India, a student can earn his MBA even through correspondence (how could he?) but universities insist on theclassroom teaching methods, participation of thestudentsduring academic sessions and laboratory sessions. They do not emphasise upon cramming of the books but try to give aknowledge base (or a skill) to the students.

(C) The students are prepared for life; there is no emphasisupon degrees but upon the practical knowledge that the students get from their educational curricula. This feature ismissing in Indian education.

(D) The students have an exposure to distant lands, peopleand the diverse cultures from all the parts of the world. Theforeign universities attract students from around the globeand the multiracial canvass of the university campuses gives the students an idea about the world they live in. New contactsare made, which assist the students in migration, furtherstudies, employment and business. The possibilities arevirtually endless.

(E) The graduates of a foreign university are respected in India They get lucrative jobs in India and have bright carrers. The disadvantages of foreign education are no lessalarming. Some of them are as follows:—

(A) Most of the students do not come back after theireducation in the foreign universities. They get jobs orprofessional assignments abroad and therefore, they getlucrative salaries that are much higher than Indian paypackages. The problem of brain drain has cost India dearlyand during the past thirty years, we have lost most of theproductive manpower to the West. There is no end to thisproblem as the Western nations welcome the talentedindividuals from all the nations with open arms.

(B) The cost factor is very crucial. Most of the parentscannot afford to pay the fees and other costs of their childrenand wards. They have to borrow these funds from banks,private financiers or relatives. The problems of repayment ofthese loans remain a major headache as the children are notlikely to pay back these loans. The rich and neo-rich familiesare able to afford the costs and therefore, are able to go abroad.Scholarships are limited as the foreign universities have alsobeen facing funds shortages due to global recession.

(C) The demands of the graduates (who have got a foreigndegree) are quite unreasonable. Only the foreign companiesoperating in India, multinationals and big corporate firms arein a position to afford them. The small-scale industries andmedium scale industries are not in a position to offer themjobs. Moreover, after a brief stint in the industry, theseprofessionals start small enterprises pf their own. The firmssuffer as they groom them for specific professional jobs afteryears of hard work and investments in terms of time andmoney.

(D) These professionals have a new cultural orientationafter they come from abroad. They do come back but they goback to foreign lands because they are sans emotional affiliations with their families in India. Some of theprofessionals get married and settle down in the foreign countries of their choice. The families (especially, the parents)miss their children but they are not in a position to go to thatforeign country and meet them. The families break up in thismanner. Social security and the norms of the joint family are sidelined. What remains is the hunger for money and materialistic assets.

(E) Ego levels of these professionals reach new heights as they are Creme de' la Creme of the human race. They are superior, feel superior and are treated as superior. They generate manyproblams, duels and corporate wars in India and abroad. This could be a nuisance for those who have plaebian status or moderate abilities and are forced to work with these professionals. When these professionals face confrontation ona routine basis, they try to lead secluded lives and meet onlythose who have a status that is at par with theirs. They ignorethe ordinary mortals and the society at large.

(F) Due to the human problems faced by them, theseprofessionals develop serious health or psychological problemsthat include heart ailments, asthma, bronchitis, respiratorydiseases, hypertension and diabetes.

(G) Confidence levels of many a student remain at theirlowest ebb despite educational stints abroad.It must be noted that by the year 2005, the service orientedjobs would be nearly 30-40 per cent of the total jobs offered inthe markets. Further, there would be a shift from white-collarjobs (which requires managerial abilities and humanisticapproach for solving the problems) to computer-based andanalytical jobs (which involves engineering talent and scientific knowledge bases)

The most lucrative careers would be in ArtificialIntelligence (AI), Information technology (IT), BioEngineering, Computer Graphics and Multimedia, ElectronicsEngineering, Space Research, Nuclear Science and Engineering,Oceanographic Research and Applications and Surgery.

We do not dissuade the students from going abroad. However, we must point out that educational standards inIndia are also improving/One may not need to go abroad inorder to earn a degree. There are many institutions in theforeign countries also that merely offer degrees and noknowledge is imparted by them.

These educational institutions have mushroomed aroundthe world because of the rise in demand for quality educationby the Asians and the Africans. For example a universitylocated abroad would certainly give the degree in ComputerScience but if the same degree is earned in India (and theyoung boy or the girl can go abroad for a training for oneyear or so after the graduation), then he would be saving alot of his financial resources.

Many universities are offering courses that allow thestudents to attend academic sessions in the foreign countryfor one year or so. The rest of the academic curricula arecompleted by the students in India as those universities haveliaison offices or affiliated colleges in India. This is a goodconcept and should be appreciated

In sum, the students of the new millennium should workhard if they wish to earn a good degree from a foreignuniversity. They have to keep their sights on their targets andhave to burn the midnight oil for achieving their short termand long term academic objectives. Nothing is impossible ifthey are determined, committed and willing to slog.

They must, however, avpid applying for admission tospurious universities that abound in the foreign countries. Indian education scenario is also changing and we also haveprofessional courses and institutions in India as well. The ideais to build a career and not make a visit to a foreign countryas many of the students think.