TIRUCHY: The coronavirus pandemic has created an environment of uncertainty among students planning to study abroad. Several students and their parents are anxious if the time spent in preparing for competitive exams such as IELTS and TOEFL, arranging bank loans and applying for visas would account for nothing as every country is grappling with the deadly infection.
Ellowlyn Godson, EEE graduate from Thanjavur, said, “I left my job to pursue Master’s in Sustainable Energy in Ireland. As of now, I do not have plan B.” The virus outbreak made him defer his plans.
A student who applied in three universities in the US said he keeps himself updated of the developments there constantly. “My WhatsApp group is flooded with messages about our study there. My admission for M.Sc In Computer Science at Rutgers University, New Jersey, is on hold. Another university has asked students’ preferences on taking up classes, based on which they would decide on opening the college,” he said.
Paul from Tiruchy, who was on cloud nine after scoring 7.5 in IELTS and receiving an offer letter from University Cork College, Ireland, said chances of flying out appeared bleak.
“The country is facing severe economic recession and job opportunities look bleak even for citizens. After my study period there, I wonder how I would get a job and repay loan,” he said, adding the loan process was on hold due to the lockdown.
Though some universities have offered online classes, students have not been receptive. They felt online classes cannot replace the very essence of being there, feeling the environment and the people.
Study abroad consultants opine the situation was uncertain. A consultant with Trinity Overseas Academy in Tiruchy said students who were to join courses in the UK in May could not make it and were pinning hopes on September admission.
Vishwajeet Kshirsagar, CEO, SEAES Education Group, said, “There are about 35,000 Indian students studying in China and 28,000 pursuing medicine in undergraduate programmes. Every year, around 10 lakh international students study in the US, four lakh in Russia and 3.5 lakh in European countries. About 75 per cent of 20,000 international students pursuing medicine in countries like Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, etc are Indians.”
The silver lining
Kshirsagar, further, said that India has a great opportunity to develop into an international education hub with the rapid credibility and confidence it has established among the international community. And, the same goes with manufacturing, services and other industries.
“Educational institutions across globe would try their best to attract Indian students as the country is among the very few promising positive and consistent economic growth,” he observed.