Security and high pay of life drive students abroad

By Manit Verma

NOIDA: India may have emerged as a world economy in its 75 years of independence but this has failed to stem the brain drain.

Young professionals who migrated to foreign land in the past five years give many reasons for choosing to study and settle abroad despite India emerging as a land of newer opportunities in its 75-year journey as an independent nation.

A UNESCO report says that 91 per cent Indian students surveyed in its latest study were interested in foreign education despite the pandemic axing purses and travel.

Keen to produce films for Hollywood, young film and television professional Nimisha Verma said that her academic pursuits back home weren't sufficient and she needed practical exposure. “I knew how to set up filmmaking equipment such as the camera, sound and lights even before I made it to the industry. But I never had the confidence to operate them back home as we were not made to do it repetitively. The hands-on curriculum design of my certificate course in Canada offers me ample chances to do that,” she says. India, she adds, “may be a land of booming opportunities, but the scope varies from industry to industry. While there's potential for engineering and medical careers, we still lack better training, employment, dignity of labour, fair pay and safe practices in the fields of Film and Television,” she says.

Surprisingly, students are more inclined towards studying abroad also due to cost-effective education in countries such as Germany, Canada, Eastern Europe and New Zealand. They feel, studying abroad does not only improve employment prospects but also provides job security. “To build a better life for themselves, Indian students prefer studying overseas as it not only gives them the right exposure but also provides them with global opportunities.

“Moving out of the comfort zone makes them self-reliant with a global mindset. In comparison to India, the professionals’ hard work is rewarded with a better salary package and security. Working in India has insecurities,” says Jyoti Dhaiya, Principal, DAV School, Faridabad.

For some aspirants, education from top global colleges matters the most.

Aditi Darbari, an undergraduate student in Hotel Management from IMI Switzerland, studies culinary art in Switzerland as it is the best country to study hotel management. “If you want to do something you love, do it from the top college. My college ranks 15 in the world,” she points out. In India, she feels, “people are not so open about innovation, especially in the culinary field due to lack of awareness.”