The West is alluring and the East is calling

The youth of today look to the West as their assurer and well-wisher. They love and adore the power and grandeur of the West and pray:' Oh West! Lift me to your shores, let me fall on thy sands like a leaf, give me wings to spread across the globe and nurture my desires. Transform me into a young man/woman full of zeal and zest'.

Human migration was quite a natural phenomenon of the world from times immemorial. Earlier civilisations flourished and thrived around water bodies. It was a journey for greener pastures. These patterns and methods of migration change based on the changes in the world and its impact and influence on the lives of people, especially on youth migrating overseas for studies.

It is just not one reason but many more factors which are categorised as push factors and pull factors. Push factors are political, geographical and climatic conditions. Pull factors are mostly job opportunities, educational facilities that ultimately lead to jobs and comfortable settlement in life.

The main reason for migrating among Indian youth either temporarily or permanently is to have better study atmosphere, personal aspirations, improved standard of living for themselves and their families. The number of students migrating from India and other Asian countries has increased many folds for the last 20 years. The US occupies the pilot seat followed by Australia and the UK The basic factors are the globalisation of education, financial assistance from institutes, the widened demand and supply of educated youth, relaxation of rules up to a certain extent for overseas students.

Companies in India prefer students with advanced and international degrees as they have better skills. Money earning capacity of the youth has increased and they earn much more than their counterparts in India with the same qualification and ability.

With travel made easy and comfortable with airlines and the hospitality industry, reaching their family from anywhere in the world is not a constraint. There is no dearth of money in the world if you have the earning capacity. Work opportunities are provided before the student completes his studies. Affordability and emotional delinking with families for a short period, though the span extends later, is playing a pivotal role for youth to migrate to new lands.

Clean environment, hep lifestyle, less expenditure on the university studies, research opportunities, availability of library facilities 24×7, easy approach to faculty members and their guidance, quick response to queries and a comfortable living is what the youth of today wants. Moreover, the basic advantage for Indian students is their ability to communicate and express in Queen's English is an added asset.

The students' faculties of thinking act and grow in a multi-dimensional way. Their studies are completed banking a rich set of experiences that permit them to think and act innovatively. The students adjust the lenses of their eyes to view different hues and colours of the world.

With the pandemic around, health care and the offers by the universities regarding their isolation is also occupying the prime seat in considering higher studies abroad. Most of the university campuses are on sprawling grounds where the students can pursue their studies and research work undisturbed by external factors and at the same time remain untouched by the outside influences.

Having pro-student policies like providing waivers and relaxation on various requirements, early vaccinations, healthcare infrastructure, the quality of air, and little political intervention are some of the benefits students enjoy overseas. Overall studying overseas is considered as a golden opportunity to stay ahead in the race.

India does not lack in prestigious colleges and universities, let us all honestly admit this fact. We have world class institutes like IIT's and IIM's. We had the world's best teachers like Chanakya, Gautam Buddha of ancient India. Swami Vivekananda, Guru Dev, C V Ramanand Dr AbdulKalam, though well known as a scientist, are the great teachers that India has produced in recent times.

In spite of these credits neither we are able to draw the inflow of students from abroad nor arrest the outflow from here. A great thinking and a critical analysis is required. Maybe the current education system is not sufficient enough to prepare the youth to face the increasing challenges of the global world. The government at the centre is making a great effort in this direction.