Indian Students to Cross Borders Against All Odds

Despite all odds, young people never stop dreaming. This became true when only 5% of Indian students cancelled their study-abroad plans after the travel ban was exercised throughout the world to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Since the need for strict social distancing gained significance, precautionary measures to control the increasing spread of Coronavirus heavily impacted people’s movement across the globe. This included the collapse of Indian students’ plans to pursue higher education abroad.

According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, “After China, India sends more students abroad to study than any other country. More than one million Indians were pursuing higher education programs overseas as of July 2019”. In countries such as the UK and Australia, international student admissions add a large profit to their revenue. The BBC reports that ‘International students add as much as $45 billion (£37 billion) a year to the American economy. In the UK, universities receive almost £7 billion in fees from overseas students.

However, in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian students have had to reconsider their prospects. Since risks regarding health were an overall concern, there was a dilemma about taking courses abroad and students had to consider taking up online courses for the time being and deferring travel to the next semester or academic year. Being an Indian made it that much harder to make a decision. Having paid thousands in dollars or pounds to receive experiential learning and then having to sit at home, was not a great idea. Yet,“a mere 17% said that they were extremely or very interested in the online programme,” and “5% said they did not have a problem paying the same fees as they would have for the on-campus programme”, according to a survey by Quacquarelli Symonds, a British University Agency.

Furthermore, immigration policies have complicated the situation for prospective Indian students in terms of strict restrictions on student visas. US Immigration policies were revised and altered for national health security reasons. Students who were accepted in universities that did not offer the ‘hybrid model’ of blended online and in-person classes, were forced to deport immediately (current students) or to take up online classes back home (current and future students). This left many students stranded and waiting for their home countries to rescue them.

Stranded Indian students also suffered a great deal in terms of finances because they had to make a living in a foreign nation. With the terrible global recession, many lost their part-time jobs while their parents were also helpless to support them. The students were "forced to use [the] food bank and [are] struggling with accommodation costs. In this current situation what we [are] going through is causing us mental distress.” reported Hindustan Times on August 19, 2020.

Despite these odds, according to the survey conducted by IC3 Institute, “83% of Indian and Nepalese high school students reported that they remain optimistic about the future despite the current challenges faced by education systems due to COVID-19. A third of them said they plan to study abroad in the immediate or near future.”

Many students are hopeful about the 2021 intake since many countries have now begun to lift lockdowns and travel bans. It is intriguing to see the drive Indian students possess to study abroad in spite of the odds stacked against them.

Editors: Padmashree, Dainty W