Indian Students 'Rush' to Attend Colleges in Other Countries
2022-09-11
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1Indian students have been coming to universities in the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia for many years.
2But now that much of the nation is facing economic problems, students from lower-income, rural families are coming.
3They are gathering as much money as possible and asking universities for admission.
4Sachin is a 19-year-old student who only uses one name.
5He spoke with the Reuters news agency about his future.
6"My dream is to settle abroad as I see no future in India," he said.
7Sachin's father withdrew all his money from the bank and also got a loan so his son could get a student visa to attend college in Canada.
8The money, over $25,000, went to an agency called Western Overseas that helps students learn English and get permission to study abroad.
9Sachin plans to go to Canada for a two-year study program in business.
10He hopes that once he is there, the business degree will help him get a job and a work visa.
11He said Canada has fewer restrictions on students staying to work after finishing a school program compared to the U.S. and Britain.
12Sachin thinks the financial risk is worth it.
13 He has two friends in Canada who are working while going to school.
14They earn about $900 each month from part-time work.
15Government agencies and education businesses follow the number of international students in countries like the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
16They said there were about one million Indian students studying abroad in the first part of 2022.
17That number is two times higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic restricted international travel.
18And it is likely to continue to increase.
19For one, a new trade agreement between India and Australia means it will be easier for Indian students to study in places like Sydney.
20In addition, education experts believe universities are more interested in Indian students than before.
21That is because it is harder for Chinese students to travel.
22COVID-19 restrictions are still in place in China because of its zero-COVID policy.
23But the path to success in another country is not easy.
24The first problem is that many nations are having trouble processing student visas.
25Many visa offices reduced their work hours or stopped holding student visa interviews during the first part of the pandemic.
26And the cost of attendance is extremely high even if a student is accepted to a university in another country.
27Nitika Mishra is a student studying broadcasting in London, Ontario.
28Mishra said international students must pay three times the amount Canadian students pay.
29"It is a huge amount," Mishra said.
30"Especially when it gets converted back into Indian currency."
31And, the value of the Indian rupee has gone down by seven percent this year.
32Many Indians see college abroad as their best chance to have a better life.
33They see it as worth the risk.
34In the past, joining the military seemed like a good idea.
35But India recently reduced pay and job security for military members.
36For example, India is no longer promising lifetime employment to soldiers.
37The government also reduced benefits offered to members of the military.
38The changes resulted in protests earlier this year and made many young people think again about their job plans.
39Vijay Chauhan is 18. He once thought about joining the army, and even went to take an entrance test.
40"But now, I see no incentive to join," he said.
41He is now taking English classes at Western Overseas.
42He does not see a future in staying in India.
43"There is no option but to quit India," he said.
44In the past, young Indians without a lot of money might not have been aware of the possibility of going away to school.
45But with more and more people getting internet service, they are receiving information about the visa companies like Western Overseas.
46Some students go to information events at hotels in large cities to learn about study opportunities.
47Others can watch events conducted by video call.
48At one event, over 500 students gathered to hear about universities in Australia and Canada.
49Gagandeep Singh went with his daughter, Jashandeep Kuar, who has been accepted at some universities in Australia.
50She said she is centering in on the University of Canberra, where her sister went to study pharmacy, the job of providing drugs and medicines doctors need for their patients.
51Bhupesh Sharma is head of marketing for Western Overseas.
52Sharma said the company uses Facebook and other social media services to talk about its successes.
53The company has sent almost 1,000 students to school in other countries.
54The leader of the company, Pradeep Baliyan, said he hopes to send 5,000 students abroad this year.
55The company has offices in nine large cities in India, plus Canada and Australia.
56Companies like Western Overseas see the opportunity to get more customers because there are two big problems for young people in India right now.
57The country is having trouble offering enough higher education for its 300 million students and, for those who do not go to school, there is not enough work.
58It is a bigger problem for women, as only 25 percent of women in India hold jobs.
59Young people see that many companies have reduced the number of good jobs in recent years.
60Canadian universities are having success getting Indian students.
61They are working with international education companies like ApplyBoard and IDP Education, based in Australia, to find students.
62David Tubbs is director of marketing communications with ApplyBoard.
63He said the company is connecting with Canadian universities on one side and the Indian visa agencies on the other.
64Canada had the second-highest number of Indian students last year.
65That is more than Australia and Britain but about 300,000 students fewer than the U.S.
66But that number may change because many Indian families are seeing good results sending their children to Canada.
67The universities there are not as costly, and work opportunities are good.
68Rahul Oswal runs an education company called Wisdom Overseas.
69He says there is a "rush" of Indian students coming to Canada.
70"The ease of securing permanent residency has become a big draw," he said.
71I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Dan Friedell.
1Indian students have been coming to universities in the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia for many years. 2But now that much of the nation is facing economic problems, students from lower-income, rural families are coming. They are gathering as much money as possible and asking universities for admission. 3Sachin is a 19-year-old student who only uses one name. He spoke with the Reuters news agency about his future. 4"My dream is to settle abroad as I see no future in India," he said. 5Sachin's father withdrew all his money from the bank and also got a loan so his son could get a student visa to attend college in Canada. The money, over $25,000, went to an agency called Western Overseas that helps students learn English and get permission to study abroad. 6Sachin plans to go to Canada for a two-year study program in business. He hopes that once he is there, the business degree will help him get a job and a work visa. 7He said Canada has fewer restrictions on students staying to work after finishing a school program compared to the U.S. and Britain. 8Sachin thinks the financial risk is worth it. He has two friends in Canada who are working while going to school. They earn about $900 each month from part-time work. 9Increasing student numbers 10Government agencies and education businesses follow the number of international students in countries like the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. They said there were about one million Indian students studying abroad in the first part of 2022. 11That number is two times higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic restricted international travel. And it is likely to continue to increase. 12For one, a new trade agreement between India and Australia means it will be easier for Indian students to study in places like Sydney. 13In addition, education experts believe universities are more interested in Indian students than before. That is because it is harder for Chinese students to travel. COVID-19 restrictions are still in place in China because of its zero-COVID policy. 14Education costs rising 15But the path to success in another country is not easy. The first problem is that many nations are having trouble processing student visas. Many visa offices reduced their work hours or stopped holding student visa interviews during the first part of the pandemic. 16And the cost of attendance is extremely high even if a student is accepted to a university in another country. Nitika Mishra is a student studying broadcasting in London, Ontario. Mishra said international students must pay three times the amount Canadian students pay. 17"It is a huge amount," Mishra said. "Especially when it gets converted back into Indian currency." 18And, the value of the Indian rupee has gone down by seven percent this year. 19Worth the risk 20Many Indians see college abroad as their best chance to have a better life. They see it as worth the risk. In the past, joining the military seemed like a good idea. But India recently reduced pay and job security for military members. 21For example, India is no longer promising lifetime employment to soldiers. The government also reduced benefits offered to members of the military. 22The changes resulted in protests earlier this year and made many young people think again about their job plans. 23Vijay Chauhan is 18. He once thought about joining the army, and even went to take an entrance test. 24"But now, I see no incentive to join," he said. He is now taking English classes at Western Overseas. He does not see a future in staying in India. 25"There is no option but to quit India," he said. 26More than marketing? 27In the past, young Indians without a lot of money might not have been aware of the possibility of going away to school. But with more and more people getting internet service, they are receiving information about the visa companies like Western Overseas. 28Some students go to information events at hotels in large cities to learn about study opportunities. Others can watch events conducted by video call. 29At one event, over 500 students gathered to hear about universities in Australia and Canada. Gagandeep Singh went with his daughter, Jashandeep Kuar, who has been accepted at some universities in Australia. 30She said she is centering in on the University of Canberra, where her sister went to study pharmacy, the job of providing drugs and medicines doctors need for their patients. 31Bhupesh Sharma is head of marketing for Western Overseas. Sharma said the company uses Facebook and other social media services to talk about its successes. 32The company has sent almost 1,000 students to school in other countries. The leader of the company, Pradeep Baliyan, said he hopes to send 5,000 students abroad this year. The company has offices in nine large cities in India, plus Canada and Australia. 33Companies like Western Overseas see the opportunity to get more customers because there are two big problems for young people in India right now. The country is having trouble offering enough higher education for its 300 million students and, for those who do not go to school, there is not enough work. 34It is a bigger problem for women, as only 25 percent of women in India hold jobs. Young people see that many companies have reduced the number of good jobs in recent years. 35Canadian universities are having success getting Indian students. They are working with international education companies like ApplyBoard and IDP Education, based in Australia, to find students. 36David Tubbs is director of marketing communications with ApplyBoard. He said the company is connecting with Canadian universities on one side and the Indian visa agencies on the other. 37Canada had the second-highest number of Indian students last year. That is more than Australia and Britain but about 300,000 students fewer than the U.S. 38But that number may change because many Indian families are seeing good results sending their children to Canada. 39The universities there are not as costly, and work opportunities are good. 40Rahul Oswal runs an education company called Wisdom Overseas. 41He says there is a "rush" of Indian students coming to Canada. 42"The ease of securing permanent residency has become a big draw," he said. 43I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Dan Friedell. 44Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by Reuters. 45________________________________________________________________________ 46Words in This Story 47admission -n. the process of accepting someone to a school 48abroad -adv. in a foreign country 49degree -n. a document showing the a course of study has been completed 50interview -n. a meeting in which people talk to each other to get information 51convert -v. to change into another form or kind 52currency -n. the official money of a country 53incentive -n. a reason to do something 54option -n. a choice that can be made 55benefit -n. money or something else that is provided as pay in return for working for a company, government or group 56rush -v. a situation when a large number of people move to do some activity at nearly the same time 57We want to hear from you. Do you think the Indian students will be successful in other countries? 58We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 59Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.