CHENNAI: Studying in foreign institutions might have well been a trend for a long time now, but cases of racism and attacks on Indian students on foreign soil is something that has made headlines quite often.
At a recent counselling session titled ‘Overseas Education - An Eye Opener’, jointly organised by Australian Trade Commission, British Council, Campus-France, Nuffic Neso India, and the United States-India Educational Foundation, which was held at Asan Memorial School in Nungambakkam on Saturday, parents and students to whom City Express spoke to said that one of the major aspects they are looking for is personal safety.
However, even as the two-hour session gave an opportunity to students and parents to get accurate information on higher education opportunities in Australia, France, Holland, Ireland, UK and US - Indian students and particularly parents were left a bit disappointed. “It is good that we got to know about the courses and opportunities being discussed. But the fact is that there are many cases of violence against Indian students in these foreign institutions. As a parent, I would like to know which country and which university will ensure safety of my child,” said VV Srikanth, whose daughter studies in class XI.
While many agreed with his point of view, S Prahaladan, who is pursuing engineering with Velammal Engineering College, contended that personal safety apart, it was important to also know whether the institution had good campus placement records. “I would want to recover the loan I would have spent studying in the university.
This means I need to know the campus placement record,” he said. Another engineering student Aashish Kumar Jain said that he was looking for good opportunities. “If I get into a university that can guarantee a secure future, then everything becomes secondary,” he said.
The session led by coordinators from various organisations threw light on educational opportunities in foreign nations and gave the audience an idea of the kind of research they need to undertake.
It also highlighted the procedure that students needed to adopt if they were wanting to get into a foreign university. Also, various exams like TOEFL and IELTS that are mandatory for getting into universities in countries like US and UK were discussed.