Traditionally, India has been the port of call for students from the South Asian region. In the 1950s, India focused on establishing premier institutions of higher education; students from the neighbouring countries such as Nepal were choosing India for higher education. This drift was due to cultural similarities, reduced travel time and cost. However, in the past five years (2014-2019), the growth in the South Asian student population has plateaued drastically. According to the Ministry of External Affairs survey, the aggregate 2019-20 foreign student population of 49,348 was to a certain extent more than the figure of 47,427 reported in 2018-19. This however, does not tell the whole story.
According to AISHE, of the total foreign students, the highest number came from Nepal which contributed 26.88%, followed by Afghanistan (9.8%), Bangladesh (4.38%), Sudan (3.6%), US (3.3%),Nigeria (3.1%), Yemen (2.9%), Malaysia (2.7%), UAE (United Arab Emirates) (2.7%).Almost 25,000 African students enrolled in 500 Indian universities, as reported by the AASI report. Sudan and Nigeria are amidst the chief contributors of foreign students to India.
PUSHPENDRA KUMAR RANA
CBSE Coordinator
Birla Balika Vidyapeeth
Pilani (Rajasthan)
India has cultural, historical, social, economic, and political relationships with Africa. Especially, the main reason for India to emerge as an education centre for African students to pursue their aspirations in higher education is affordable education and safety.
African students swarm to India
According to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), approximately 25,000 African students are currently studying in 500 public and private universities in India. The highest number of foreign students are enrolled in undergraduate courses (74.3% of all foreign students), followed by postgraduate (about 16.6%) and the rest (9.1%).
Presently, India is one of the forthcoming countries in the mechanical and technological capacity, because of its major contribution of workforce and tools provided by higher education, especially technical education.
The system of Indian higher education has experienced a fillip after independence and emerged the largest in the world. More than 20 million students are pursuing their higher studies in around 900-degree awarding institutions and 35,500 affiliated colleges. This is an immense potential for the rapid development and research of the country. For the admission into the Indian higher education institutions, a student needs to get through the senior secondary examination conducted by the states or the central board of school education. According to the statistics, 37% of students are studying in the field of Arts, 19% in Life-Sciences, 18% in the Commerce and 61% in the field of Engineering. This is a significant advancement in the field of higher education compared to other developing countries.
India is enticing a vast population of foreign students from corresponding parts of the world. Western and Asian students find India a place of major higher education hub because the education provided here is inexpensive, of higher quality and in the learner friendly environment. This tendency evinces that Indian higher education has more potentialities to cater to the need of growing global insistence. It is high time that the UGC (University Grant Commission) on the one hand must encourage private universities participation in awarding quality and inexpensive higher degrees in the multidisciplinary domains to attract more foreign students and on the other hand, the establishing world class schools of higher education will prevent the students, the younger generation, from being attracted by foreign institutions. Unconditional co-operation in curriculum development, preparation of instructional materials, implementation of innovative practices, use of innovative technologies, exchange of experts and promotion of collaborative research are the needs of the hour to make India as a Centre of studies.
India calling!
Between 2016 and 2021, 3,33 lakh foreign students arrived in India from 160 countries. 72,268 students came to India in the year 2018. 75,000 students chose India for pursuing their studies in 2019.
