Youngsters from rural India join rush to study abroad as prospects dim at home
An aspirant cited women’s safety and career prospects as reasons to move to Australia. Representation pic
When 19-year-old Sachin failed to score the grades he needed to get into a good college, his father, a small shopkeeper, took a loan and dug deep into the family savings to help him secure a Canadian student visa. The Rs 20 lakh they scraped together covered the fees for English language tuition provided by Western Overseas, one of dozens of visa consultancies in Ambala, Haryana.
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‘No future in India’
“My dream is to settle abroad as I see no future in India,” said Sachin. He now plans to fly to Canada where he hopes to complete a two-year diploma in business management and eventually secure a longer work visa. Several foreign universities and their local partners are organising education fairs in small towns to woo students.
Gagandeep Singh, a small businessman, went to one such event in Chandigarh with his daughter, who has received offers from some Australian universities. “I have zeroed in on the University of Canberra, from where my sister has done Masters in Pharmacy,” said Jashandeep Kaur, citing women’s safety and career prospects as her main considerations. The costs of studying and living in countries like Canada, Australia and the US are extremely high for lower-income Indians. Yet even with the rupee around record lows, it’s a risk many Indians remain willing to take.
Agnipath
Every year, Ambala, a British colonial-era army cantonment, has typically drawn hundreds of youth into the military with the prospect of lifetime employment. However, Agnipath sche-me has slashed benefits and tenure. This has forced thousands to reconsider their career. “I prepared for two years, and had appeared for a written test to join the army. But now, I see no incentive to join,” said Vijay Chauhan, 18, taking English language classes at Western Overseas. “There is no option but to quit India.”
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