Foreign Education: Pluses & Minuses
But how exactly do foreign education systems pan out as against our Indian ways of educating and learning? In this article, I’m doing just that and exploring all the pros and cons that other education systems have over our desi education system. It is important to know the pros and cons and all the differences in the various education systems before making a big financial decision about moving abroad. I will be doing in-depth research and finding out that are the other education systems even better than ours.
In terms of curriculum, Indian schools and universities lag behind a lot. They are always late to incorporate new curriculums. Whereas if we look at foreign universities and schools, they update their curriculums every few years, incorporating new research and therefore offering better and more advanced education better suited for today’s students’ needs. Determining the needs of the future workforce is not an easy task and requires a lot of research and is often done by old administrators. New research keeps coming about better techniques of teaching and learning and the Indian educational organisations fail to implement them and rather stick with their age-old techniques.
In their approach towards education, most Indian schools and colleges focus more on pushing theoretical knowledge down the Indian students’ throats. Often times the Indian students graduate without any practical experience. If we look at education abroad, they follow a more practical approach and always encourage fresh research other than what has already been done. In India, there is no scope for creativity and personal expression, whereas abroad, creativity and innovation and students’ opinions are valued far more just feeding them pre-processed information. Students are required to memorize everything whereas education abroad happens through practical learning. Students are often told to pre-read and research on a topic before starting it in the classroom which helps them form their opinions before the teacher can influence their thinking abroad. Even though the standard of courses available across colleges in India is getting better, there still seems to be a lack of opportunities for application of skills learned through conceptual understanding and due to this, many students in India struggle to get job placements after graduation. The basic explanation for this problem circles back to the Indian education system emphasis on rote to recollect concepts instead of understanding them. In comparison, schools abroad engage students in active learning through class participation, dialogue exchange, case studies, and practical off- and on-campus experiences that make learning fun and meaningful. Additionally, flexibility to tailor courses to a student’s interest and therefore the freedom to figure on a part-time basis while studying adds to the general appeal of earning a degree abroad.
Many schools within the US hold tons of weight when it involves universal recognition. The Ivy League may be a great example of this. Attending a school like Harvard, Yale or Stanford offers global name recognition, alongside strong alumni networks that span the world. These networks can help significantly with job offers after graduation or gaining admission to high-quality graduate programs. Even outside of the Ivy League, though, American schools are generally viewed as offering a top-quality education and knowledge to international students.
Students are free to pick up subjects that interest them overseas, and in India, students are often given little to no freedom at all in picking their subjects. Here students cannot change their subjects in the middle of their courses, they have to start over from the next session if they don’t feel comfortable in their chosen field of study. However, students abroad can switch over their majors as and when they feel. They are not conformed in a given subject bundle and study different subjects for example a student doing engineering can also study liberal arts if it interests them. There are limited courses to choose from in the Indian colleges however if we look at foreign universities, they have multiple courses and specialisations to choose from. The options of an Indian student are limited when it comes to picking a course, however, of late new courses are being introduced to get the Indian universities up to speed with their international counterparts.
A section of Indian students who wish to walk the road less travelled is constantly looking to advance their higher studies abroad simply because their desired program isn't widely available within the country. And even if the course is out there, the schools in India lack expertise and accreditation to shape talented students for a far better career path.
Meanwhile, there are a plethora of courses available to international students in countries such as the United States, UK, and Canada. Universities in these countries offer courses in a lot of contemporary and unconventional fields like entertainment, sports and psychology. For instance, a student who wants to learn filmmaking in India has fewer film academies or schools to pick from and they would just be left with a diploma. Whereas the exact same student can pursue an accredited Bachelor’s Degree and study filmmaking in greater depth if the course is pursued abroad.
However, even if a student is interested in pursuing a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) field at a university abroad, his options aren’t limited. STEM fields are growing in popularity around the world, and students are more likely to find programs that explore these areas (and even more specific sub-areas) everywhere they look. The UK, in particular, is home to several reasonably priced universities that offer great engineering programs that cover everything from mechanical, telecom and electrical engineering to motorsports, textile and aeronautical engineering.
Coming to research initiatives, research in foreign universities are funded by some of the biggest organizations of the world, such as Google, Microsoft. Meanwhile, in India, research is not given much importance. Students studying subjects particularly in research-centric areas like biology or pharmacy don't receive enough support from Indian colleges in terms of infrastructure and resources. Colleges in America, Canada and Britain offer abundant resources to supply students with sophisticated technologies, equipment and infrastructure to conduct in-depth research. Indian students also mostly choose research courses abroad due to favourable climate, habitat, and in some cases, flora and fauna exclusively found in those specific locations. Hence research initiatives offered abroad are better.
A student studying abroad gets far more exposure due to students of various cultures and backgrounds coming together and thereby creating a diverse environment. However, the education in India hasn’t been internationalized a lot and only a small number of students from the neighbouring countries come and study here thereby not giving much exposure to an average Indian student.
Another important factor to consider here is the ease of admission. Admission to India’s top-ranked institutes is very competitive as lakhs of scholars pass out of school per annum and seats available for admission are quite limited. IIMs, IITs and AIIMS are amongst India’s dream schools for most Indians. The race to secure admission gets far more intense counting on the extent of study and discipline. On top of that, students have to bear the strain of acing entrance exams for certain fields, for instance, the Joint Entrance Exams (JEE mains) for engineering colleges and therefore the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) for medical colleges. A study revealed that on average, a student has lesser than a 50% chance of securing admission to a highly reputed IIT.
High cut-offs cause even the brightest students to lose their hope of securing admission to a course and college of their choice. And as a result, students with no guaranteed admission need to think through the ultimate option of studying abroad or else they’ll study from a mediocre private college. Eventually, students with great academic standing and enough budget prefer to further their education abroad. Since undergraduate admission at a highly ranked foreign school it seemed to be comparatively easier, an increasing number of scholars from India are choosing to take this big step of leaving their country to study abroad.
This is no surprise that studying abroad is expensive. Not only is the cost of tuition expensive but the living expenses and travel expenses also rake up a hefty amount. While the costs involved should be a factor in a student’s decision-making process of whether to study abroad or in India, it should not be the only factor. The initial costs of a graduate or post-graduate degree can seem expensive and daunting, but students should also consider the return on investment they will receive by means of career opportunities with their degree. If a student chooses a more cost-effective degree of lesser renown, they may save up initially some costs, but in the long run, they might not receive the career boost that the other known colleges might have. Among the most popular studying abroad destinations, in the US the approximate annual expenditure for tuition fees and cost of living is Rs 34 lakh, in Australia, the annual total expenditure is approximately Rs 25 lakh, in the UK it is around Rs 25 lakh and in Canada, the cost is almost Rs 19.8 lakh.
Another important aspect we can consider here is the emigration pathway. It is one of the top reasons why Indian students, especially at the graduate level, look to pursue a degree abroad. Countries such as the US and Canada offer attractive job prospects post-graduation and their flexible immigration policies allow students to find employment on completion of studies. US National Science Foundation’s Survey reveals that about 80% of students from India and other Asian countries prefer to remain in America after completing their graduate and doctoral studies.
The Indian universities seldom offer scholarships or if they do, they might be limited. Meanwhile, a lot of foreign universities provide numerous scholarships to international students. There are numerous scholarships available, based on merit, subjects taken, course opted for, and on the economic background of the applicant. The scholarships are offered by organizations, the government, universities, and colleges. Even though there is hefty competition for full scholarships that cover the entire tuition fees, partial scholarships are also available. Apart from that, students can also take part in a work-study programmes which makes education more affordable for middle-class students and more accessible.
Universities abroad also pay equal attention to sports and other extracurricular activities which indeed help in the overall growth of a student. Colleges often have sports clubs for amateurs to take part in like flag football, ultimate frisbee, or even modified games of Quidditch. There are theatre clubs also for students to take part in and meet new people and make friends. University life is filled with activities and anyone can find an activity that interests them to take some steam off. Students can also take part in mock UNs and volunteer for various organizations directly. However, if we look at the Indian colleges and universities, they focus little to no attention to extracurriculars. Students have to fund and organise their own events without any assistance from the administration.
Overall, India still has a long way to go when it comes to its education system. There is a lack of premier schools and colleges which makes it difficult for an average Indian student to get into. The syllabus and the curriculum are old and need to be updated. The government has recently come out with the new education policy but the effectiveness of the policy can only be determined after a few years. In conclusion, studying abroad is better in all aspects.
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