KOCHI: Among the many things the pandemic has shed light on, the one that has come to the fore now is the shift in student migration patterns. Over the years, there has been a marked shift in the preferred destination among Malayali students when it comes to higher education and professional courses and this change has been highlighted by the inbound air traffic during the pandemic.
“The majority of passengers in inbound flights were students,” said an official who was involved in repatriating students stranded in foreign countries. However, what was interesting was the countries from where they were inbound. “In the past, it was countries like the UK, the USA, New Zealand, Australia and Canada that attracted students from the state. Over the past few years, however, the trend has changed,” said S Irudaya Rajan, professor, Centre for Development Studies.
According to him, this change might have something to do with the exorbitant tuition fees charged by educational institutions and the high cost of living in these countries. “The cost of studying in the US and the UK is very high. If the cost of living is also taken into consideration, to do a five-year professional course like MBBS, a student will have to cough up around Rs3 crore,” he said. Students from affluent families might be able to afford it. “But it cannot be denied that it is a huge ask,” added Rajan. That is where the policies of countries like Malaysia, Thailand, China and Eastern European countries to collect workforce come into play, he said.
According to Ameen Shah, a student, Eastern European, East Asian and Caribbean nations have universities that offer courses like MBBS at affordable rates and the cost of living in these countries is very less. “Instead of spending Rs 3 crore for a course in the US and the UK, a student can complete the same course in these countries for Rs 25 lakh to Rs 60 lakh,” said Ameen. According to him, the destinations in demand for MBBS at present are Ukraine, China, Moldova and other Eastern European countries. “Students opt for higher studies in foreign countries for a different experience. Another reason is the ease in acquiring jobs,” he added.
According to an education consultancy, they have seen more than 200 students seeking admissions in Eastern European countries like Ukraine. “Certain universities in the country have some understanding with the US regarding job visas. The only thing students passing out from these universities need to do to get a US visa is write a prescribed examination similar to the one conducted by the Indian Medical Council,” said an official with the consultancy.